The Marked
by X.Phoenix.X
Summary: It's been decided. Heroes and villans, they shouldn't exist. Society can't accept them. So, they've gone into hiding. But, when things start to lose control, they'll come to find that maybe it isn't better safe than sorry.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One.**

**Jinx.**

It's today. Today, right here, right now. The day that we, the _marked_, get hidden. The day our slates are cleaned. The day that will mark a new beginning for everything I've ever known.

"It's hard to think that this is what it came down to," Terra whispered beside me.

I nodded and Raven spoke up too. "You'd think they'd understand what we've done for them."

It was the worst feeling ever. Knowing that as of August 17, you have no past. All because people don't understand us.

It had been a month since we, being the heroes, over threw the Brotherhood of Evil, leaving the frozen villains in the headquarters. Everything seemed fine, the world was saved and it seemed like it would be safe forever. Hah. That's what we thought.

All it took was one false report to start a string of fake reports of attacks and abuse. People were getting famous from claiming that Robin had punched them in the eye in cold blood or that Cyborg had blown up their car. People were saying that Raven was the speaker for Satan, or that Terra was behind the random earthquakes that barely shook the city. Aqualad was being blamed for sudden 'floods' and people were even blaming Kid Flash and Mas y Menos for any sudden gust of wind that went by.

No one knows how, but a few villains were able to escape their frozen hold, so there were also claims that SeeMore was a peeping tom and that Gizmo was sending people viruses online. It only took less than a month for riots to form and protesters outside not only the Titans Tower in Jump City, but also in the Titans East headquarters, the old HIVE headquarters. Even where Kid Flash and I were.

It seemed like every person we saved had turned on us. It was becoming almost unbearable. And the violence level in the cities rose even higher then it was before the Brotherhood of Evil. Actions had to be taken. But not in our favor...

After almost every other possibility was tested, it was decided that the heroes and villains would have to go in hiding. Talk about killing our pride. We had been in an underground facility for the past week; we being every hero and villain that could be located. Most were underground to be treated for any injuries caused by the sudden turn of the citizens. If I remember correctly, Starfire had been shopping when people started throwing random things at her: books, CDs, anything they could. Cyborg had been recharging and people broke into his room and poured water into his recharger, causing him to short-circuit. There had even been public fights, I remember those. You could be aimlessly walking in a park and all of a sudden a mob of people appeared... not pretty.

The head of this sudden... I can't even find the words for it. Hate? Betrayal? Complete and utter chaos? Nevertheless, the problem starter is none other then Ronald L. Johnson, the former head of security of Jump City. After he had lost his re-election, he was supposedly the victim of a hit and run after he was broadsided by Beastboy in the T-car. Yeah. Right. Well, after he made it out of the hospital, he suddenly saw the Titans Tower and concluded that we shouldn't exist.

Under Ronald L. Johnson came our new titles. He had called us the _marked ones_, his way of saying we were impure humans. "The _marked_ are the ones that put themselves above mankind. They are the _freaks_ and the _weirdos_ that roam our streets in present time and have been for far too long. They say they're these 'super heroes', but would they be so super if they didn't have to 'protect us' from their own kind?" His speeches were all over the radio and television and the riots made it a living hell for all of us.

Luckily, a few people were willing to help us out. The new president of the security wing in Jump City formed the HVPA, Heroes and Villians Protection Agency, which is where we are now. Sounds stupid that they'd protect the villians too, but in this case, most of us were the victims. Anyway, the HVPA decided that it was one of their priorities to protect us from society, so they relocated us to a 'better environment', just until it was safe for us again. But it resembled more of a prison. Because that's what it formerly was, but this was the only safe place for us now.

"Knock knock."

Hearing the all-too-familiar voice, I snapped out of my flashback and stood up. I quickly crossed the closet sized room, shivering thinking about how easily people could shut us away behind closed doors in tiny spaces. Opening the door, I had little time to react before I was pulled into an embrace.

"Hey Raven, Terra." Kid Flash nodded as he walked in, his arm around my shoulder as I slumped against him, weary and desperate. My usually lively pink eyes have been losing their life and everyone else had been showing signs of the change of lifestyle getting to them. Well, everyone but Kid Flash and Beastboy.

Terra's solemn blue eyes looked to where Kid Flash was from the mess of sheets we had been sitting on. "Hey KF. Any news?"

I put my head on his shoulder, praying for good news. I felt his hand squeeze my shoulder comfortingly and nod his head. "We're leaving now. To get our names."

I felt like I had excitement and dread tearing through my fragile body all at once and my body didn't know how much more I could take. Raven just nodded, not showing any form of expression as she stood up and brushed by. "Come on guys. It can't be all that bad. Maybe this way we can get over all of the crap thrown at us."

Terra sighed and stood up, leaving Kid Flash and I to be the last to leave the room. I gave it one last look over before deciding I didn't want to remember it. "Shh, Jinxy. Don't worry about it. All that's going to happen is-"

"We're getting completely new identities," I murmured.

He shrugged and stepped behind me, lightly pushing me towards the door. "A clean slate." I gave a tiny nod as the two of us followed the long hallway to the only room large enough to hold all of the heroes and villains. "Don't worry. I already put the word in that we'd be placed somewhere near each other."

"What do you mean?"

"Some are being sent to other cities or countries." _This is how bad it got?_ I thought to myself. I found my arms snaking around his as he brought me to what could have been the biggest mystery of my life. "I talked to Robin, the process is simple. You go into the room, they give you a number, a name, and there will be family there that's part of the HVPA that will become your 'adoptive family'. We'll all be enrolled for school that starts next week, and at the school we just have to put on our best act as normal teenagers."

"Normal. Hah," I muttered, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Kid Flash chuckled and I didn't realize until now how slow he had been walking to stay with me.

When we finally got to the large cafeteria, I saw so many recognizable faces and it was a bit more comforting. I saw a short old woman with a clip board placing everyone in line in front of a small door that looked like it lead into the kitchen of the cafeteria. Kid Flash put his hands on my shoulders as the two of us made our way towards the woman.

Her nametag said 'Hello, My Name Is Marie', and she had a smile on her face like she was meeting a room full of newborns. When she saw us approach her, she plastered this huge grin on her face and looked at the clipboard. "Why, hello there," she greeted, still smiling. "I see you two aren't in line yet. May I have your names?"

I raised an eyebrow, a bit confused on how someone could be so deep underground with barely any light, with people shunned by society, and still smile. "Kid Flash and Jinx," I offered and she nodded, her eyes scanning down the list behind large framed glasses.

"Ahh, yes. Jinx, you're number 13," she read and I sighed at the number. _Figures_. "You're right here dear," she said, putting me in the place behind Starfire and in front of a former HIVE member, Nevaeh.

"As for you," she said, directing her voice to Kid Flash, "You're only a little bit behind the young lady. Number 23." As she said that, she lightly pushed Kid Flash between Gizmo and Aqualad.

I cast a nervous glance over my shoulder to Kid Flash, but he waved my attention forward, where Raven, Number 7, was being 'reassigned', as some people said.

"Friend Jinx, I cannot help but detect your sense of fear," Starfire said from in front of me, not even turning around as she spoke. She threw me a small friendly glance over her shoulder before taking a large step forward. Another one had been reassigned.

I shrugged, not wanting to make it look like I was as afraid as I really was. "I just don't know how well I'll fit in at the high school. I haven't been in a public school in so long, and I was one of the best students at the HIVE... making me one of the least liked students."

Starfire looked thoughtful for a moment, took another large step forward again, then turned around and smiled. "Maybe we can be in the school together and be friends. Then you will be liked."

Another large step. "Sure, Star, if you say so." Behind me, I heard Nevaeh clear her throat. Turning around, I saw that she was one of the battle-scarred...

Nevaeh had been extremely pretty; I remember it in the HIVE. She had jet-black hair, pale skin, faint freckles, deep green eyes. Her dark black wings were amazing and were often envied in school. But now... her hair was all uneven and scorched. Her arms and legs, visible because of the skirt and tank top she was wearing, were dirty and bruised. She had a few stitches covering a gash on her right arm and there were a few more above her eyebrow. Her face was also fairly bruised and her wings were missing so many feathers... I felt pity welling up inside me.

"You guys will be in the same school," she said in an extremely quiet voice. She looked down at her feet while she spoke, "I heard some of the HVPA members talking. They are sending the well known villains and heroes out of Jump City, and I heard that the Teen Titans and some of the better known HIVE members would be sent to a city far away..."

By now, Star was next to be reassigned, but I thanked Nevaeh for her knowledge... even if it meant she had been eavesdropping. Was I one of the better known HIVE members? Would that mean I'd be sent with the Titans too?

"NEXT!" The call rang out and I stood there, whispering a goodbye to Starfire that I was sure only I could hear. I didn't notice all of the pairs of eyes turn to me until Nevaeh suddenly shoved me forward.

"It's you," she murmured. My eyes glazed with fear as I was barely able to drag them forward. Before I got to the old wooden door that would hold the secrets I'd have to live by, I turned around to see everyone else in line. My eyes rested on the ones I knew; Speedy, Bumblebee, Gizmo, Robin... Kid Flash. He was the last I saw and gave me a thumbs up sign and I weakly nodded back before turning and walking into the room. This was it, the probable end of Jinx, and who knows what it would be the beginning of...

**-Time Break-**

Jennifer Kyng. Jen, Jenn, Jenny. Jennifer Kyng.

"Jinx, I know how hard this must seem for you, but it's for the best."

The words all echoed in my head, some hitting sharp staccato accents and became etched in my mind, others slurred together and seeped through like sand through your fingers.

I looked over to the smiling family of three that were kind enough to offer to bring me into their lives. The Kyngs were definitely people I'd owe a lot to.

As of now, I was officially Jennifer Kyng. Complete with a new passport, birth certificate, and social security number. I lived at 23 Princeton Drive in Lanesburg. I had one younger brother, a mother, a father, and two dogs. It's like my life had been cut and pasted into some normal kid's life.

"Welcome to the family, Jinx..." the father, Mark Kyng said with a smile. "Um, what would you like to be called?"

I shrugged, still looking at my new family. Mark was an older father, his dark brown hair starting to fade, his stronger build begining to show age. He was in his mid to late fourties, and was the manager and owner of the Lanesburg Cinemas. His wife, Suzanne, was maybe in her late thirties to her early fourties and was a small business owner of a little craft store in downtown Lanesburg. The one thing that was more of a surprise to me was their son, Carson. He was 10 years old and seemed small for his age, but he was a good kid from the looks of it.

"It doesn't matter to me," I murmured, a little bit uncomfortable.

"Jenn," Carson said aloud. It surprised me; I didn't expect to hear him talk. "I think I want to call you Jenn." Carson gave me a little smile and I gave a little smile back.

"Jenn it is," I murmured.

Time seemed to fly as Mark and Suzanne signed all of the paperwork and things to make the adoption legal. Meanwhile, I was given a set of 'civilian clothes' and a bag of other necessities and was directed to a bathroom.

"Jenn Kyng," I said to my reflection in the mirror, wondering if my tongue would get used to the new name. I looked at the clothes in my hands—they were definitely different from my usual uniform. I now had a pair of dark blue jeans that fit to my legs then spread out a little bit before my feet, a pair of large black skateboard-looking sneakers, a black tank top, and a large white hooded-sweatshirt was my cover. Sort of. Hey, it would blend me in, right?

I looked in the mirror again and was surprised. I looked different. Like I could actually belong. "Yeah, except for your pinkish-purple hair and gray skin," I murmured to myself. Taking my hair out of the clips I had them in, I took a brush out from the bag and combed my hair until it was wavy but relatively manageable.

I had bangs, yes, like most other teenage girls, and I let the few pieces of wavy hair stay in front of my face. They partially covered my right eye and I found a bit of refuge behind them. The rest of my hair I left down. It was barely past shoulder length and I couldn't remember the last time I left it down...

As a last thing, I cupped my hands together, filled them with water, and threw it against my face to get off any remains of the make up I used to wear, the black makeup under my eyes washing away.

Looking into the mirror one last time, I decided that this is what Jenn Kyng would look like. Folding and placing my old uniform inside the bag, I wanted to keep it, a small memory from my former life.

**.Terra.**

"Beastboy!"

Running as fast as my feet would carry me, I nearly tackled Beastboy to the ground in a hug that even Starfire would envy. Wrapping my arms around him, it was so weird... seeing Beastboy in something other then his uniform. It was like I was hugging another person. But I knew that it would always be Beastboy on the inside.

"Hey, Terra," he said, his arms going around my body and returning the embrace.

I smiled at him as my eyes wandered around the crowded gym. It had been merely ten minutes since I was reassigned and all of the families and the _marked_ were supposed to make their way into the gym for a social event. Just an hour or two for people to say their goodbyes or to have their families meet each other. All of the HVPA families are supposed to become familiar with each other because they all worked for one common purpose; to help us.

Dragging Beastboy by the arm, I pulled him only a short distance to where my new family was. "Beastboy, I'd like you to meet my family. This is Kevin Harvey," I said, pointing to my new dad, "and this is my mom, Laura."

Looking at my two older aged parents, I smiled again. They were both in their early 50s and they had lost three of their children at early ages. When I asked them why they would want to adopt me, they said that it was because I was no different from any other teenager out there and that the world should be able to see that. They both insisted that I would call them by their first names, but I opted to call them Mom & Dad too. Kevin had brown hair that had been sprinkled with white and he used to be a police officer, but his muscular body was past its prime. Laura was an elementary school teacher and was skinny, her short brown hair about shoulder length.

"It's nice to meet you, Beastboy," Dad said with a friendly nod, and beside him Mom nodded to agree with his statement.

"Nice to meet you too, sir," Beastboy replied.

"Tarah has told us a lot about you and all of your friends in the short time we've known her," Mom added, and I blushed a little bit. It was true, I hadn't known them long but it seemed like they knew so much about me already.

Beastboy smirked at me and I lightly punched him in the arm. "So, where's your family-"

I couldn't even finish before someone came up behind us and hooked an arm around Beastboy's neck, pulling up slightly. Turning around, I saw a boy, probably our age, who was a couple inches taller then Beastboy. He had a grin on his face and shouted over his shoulder, "I found him!" Beastboy quickly ducked down and out of the hold, glaring at the other boy.

Looking to Beastboy with a look of pure confusion, he rolled his eyes. "Jake. He's my brother. Only two weeks older then me."

I smiled and nodded, a small smile spreading across my lips. "Hey Bryce, who's she?" Hearing the voice from behind us, I turned around and Beastboy looked ready to smack his head.

"Bryce?"

"My new name."

"Oh." Looking at Beastboy, I guess I was looking at Bryce too. He had kind of baggy-ish jeans on and a dark grey hooded sweatshirt. With black Vans sneakers, he looked like he'd be ale to blend in too. "Cool."

"Yeah, dude, who's she?" Jake piped in suddenly and I noticed that all eyes were on me now.

Beastboy laughed at how I seemed to fidget under the spotlight. "This is..." He suddenly stopped, remembering that I hadn't yet told him my new name.

"Tarah," I said simply.

"Yeah, I know you're Terra, but who are you now?" he asked, his head slightly cocked to the side in confusion.

"Tarah," I replied again. "My name is Tarah Harvey. T-a-r-a-h. Tarah."

This was so weird... introducing yourself to someone you've known for so long...

"Anyway, this is Tarah. She's an old friend. A good friend." Beastboy said, beaming as he introduced me to Jake and the other boy. "Tarah, this is Jake Barton. My brother."

I laughed and wondered how good of a brother _Bryce_ would be to them. Jake both had short dirty blonde hair, somewhat long, and a faint splash of freckles on his face, under plain but warm brown eyes. He looked like he'd be just as energetic (and maybe reckless) as Beastboy.

"My mom and dad are over there talking to some other HVPA people..." Beastboy, I mean, Bryce said. Ugh. I'm going to have to get used to this. He's Bryce. Bryce, Bryce, Bryce. Not Beastboy. Bryce.

"Hey, dude, you gonna introduce us to any more people or what?" Jake said all of a sudden, grabbing Beastboy, argh, BRYCE by the arm. "Let's go."

_Bryce_ and I exchanged glances before the two of us shrugged and agreed to search through the gym. "Let's find the others," I whispered to Bryce and he nodded. But I couldn't help but listen to those thoughts I tried so hard to ignore. How would it be, re-meeting all of the people I knew? All of the people that knew me?

**.Jinx.**

"Kid Wykkyd?"

My eyes rested on my former teammate before me, barely believing what I was seeing. Was it Kid Wykkyd? I wasn't sure. I had never seen him out of costume, and the boy in front of me looked just as normal as the rest of us tried to be.

He nodded his head in confirmation of my question and I gasped. "You look so different!" And it was true. Kid Wykkyd didn't look that bad at all. He had short dark brown hair and, not red eyes, but gentle green ones. I guess they were just always hidden behind his mask. He was taller then me when I was in flat sneakers, and, despite what I thought, he had a normal skin color. Even had a faint bridge of freckles. He was in a black T-shirt and khaki pants and... "Wow! I can't believe it's you!"

A girl came from behind him and smiled at me. "You must be one of Kyle's old friends, right?" I looked at Kid Wykkyd a little confused, but nodded. "Oh, I forgot," she said with a small laugh, "His name is Kyle now. Kyle Decarte." At this, Kid Wykkyd gave a small half grin. "I'm Lisa Cray, I live next door to the Decartes and my dad is one of the council members in the HVPA. It's nice to meet you..."

"Jenn," I offered, shaking her outstretched hand. "Jenn Kyng."

It was definitely awkward, introducing myself like that, but I decided it wasn't half bad, and maybe I could get used to it. After chatting a little bit more with Kyle and Lisa, (well, mostly Lisa), I decided to wander around a little more.

That is, until I was tackled into a hug and heard a couple screams and greetings.

"JINX!" I heard my name called out as I hit the floor and I groaned.

"Yeah, that's me," I replied, looking to see Starfire hugging me as if her life depended on it. "Star, you can let go," I muttered.

Looking up at the other people gathered around, a smile was able to snake its way onto my lips. Starfire nodded and let go, her face molded into a smile as I looked over everybody. It was all of them. Robin, Starfire, Beastboy, Terra, Raven, Cyborg, Bumblebee, Speedy, even Jericho. But...

"Who are you all?" I asked.

Shocked, Beastboy looked ready to explode. "What! What do you mean 'who are you all?' Did they brain wash your or something? See guys, I knew it-"

I laughed. "Relax. I meant who are you all _now_?" My question was met with silence and I sighed. "Hi, my name's Jenn Kyng." I said it in a forced happy-go-lucky tone and the other caught on.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Tarah Harvey," Terra said with a smirk. "T-a-r-a-h, that is."

I nodded and we shook hands, as if we had never met before. We all stood there, reintroducing ourselves when I suddenly felt hands cover my eyes.

"There's no way I would ever mistake that purple mess of hair for anyone else," the voice from behind me said and I rolled my eyes.

Turning around, I saw not only Kid Flash, but Carson too. "Okay, Kid Flash, do whatever you want to me, but don't go poisoning my little brother's mind too."

"Don't worry, Jenn. I like him, he's cool," Carson said proudly and I laughed. "Are these your friends?" He asked, pointing to everyone else. I nodded.

"Carson, this is Tarah Harvey, Bryce Barton, Rachel Vaughn, Stacia Freeman, Ryne Hunter, Chris Bergeron, Brianne Rogers, Sam Cougar, and Hayden Brown." I said, pointing to each person and beaming with pride that I remembered their new names.

His jaw seemed to drop as he looked at each person. "I've hear a lot of stories about you guys, can I guess your real names?" He seemed so excited that no one had the heart to object, so Carson began naming everyone off again in the same order using their former names. "Terra, Beastboy, Raven, Starfire, Robin, Cyborg, Bumblebee, Speedy, and Jericho!" He listed triumphantly. "And this," he said, tossing a finger over his shoulder to where Kid Flash stood, "Is Ty."

Kid Flash gave a quick nod of his head to agree with Carson's statement. "Tyler Langsfield, at your service," he said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes as a voice suddenly drew my attention. "Jenn, Carson, we need to go!"

I knew it was Mark calling us, but I exchanged a quick glance with Carson to confirm before saying goodbye to everyone. "Carson, do you know the home phone so I can give it to my friends? So we can keep in touch?" I asked.

"1-773-536-5464," he recited and I repeated it to my friends.

"I'm sorry this is such a quick goodbye..." I murmured. Carson then began weaving his way towards our parents and I gave my friends one more solemn goodbye. "I'll keep in touch!"

"You better," Kid Fla- Tyler said, grabbing my arm as I brushed by. I stopped and looked at him, getting lost in his clear blue eyes. "If you don't keep in touch, I'll just have to hunt you down and make sure you do." He said with a wink. I rolled my eyes and squeezed his hand before running after my family.

Sure, it seemed like an ending, but for all I know, it could be a new beginning. "Jenn! Come on!"

"Coming!"

So much has happened today, it was definitely one of those sharp twists life throws at you. Let's just hope this isn't a turn for the worse.

* * *

_Edited chapter re-posted on 5/31/12._

Although I started this story almost six years ago, I never stopped receiving story alerts, reviews and little reminders that I had left this unfinished. A quick refresher in the form of watching a handful of Teen Titans episodes online has rekindled the old fire and I am going to make an honest attempt to complete this, six years later.

The first five chapters that were originally posted were somewhat riddled with errors and typos and I apologize for that. Before posting any new chapters, I will be editing and reposting the existing chapters (without changing anything too major).

I want to thank everyone who read this when it originally came out, anyone who happened upon it during my hiatus, and anyone who has returned to see where it will go. I will make a sincere effort to complete it, no matter how long it takes.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two.**

**.Kid Flash.**

I definitely need to get used to this. I have a family now. I'm not running a solo operation any more. I'm Tyler Langsfield now. Sure, easier said then done, but I'd have to get used to it.

For example, when I got home, my new older brother, Shawn, told me to go walk the dog. And I realized, hey, I actually have to _walk_. Or when my older sister, Sandra, told me to 'run to the store for a second', I had to remember it was a figure of speech and that I couldn't actually run there in a second anymore. God was it hard to resist doing these every day boring things really slow.

It's only been two days since I last left the HVPA holdings beneath Jump City, and when the Langsfields took me home, it took a good two and a half to three hours to get to our home in... Lanesburg, I believe. So now, instead of my apartment-like headquarters I used to have, I live in your average house. There's the first floor and the second floor, then an attic and a basement. I lived up on a hill a bit so I could see the forest all around and there was a small lake not too far away. Within walking distance. And yes, I mean walking.

The house itself was pretty cool too. From the outside it seemed like any other. It was a pale yellow with dark green shutters and had a lightly sloped front yard. Shawn's soccer equipment was scattered about, accompanied a little bit by Sandra's volleyball and field hockey stuff. Oh, and not to mention the dog's toys.

Once you got over the normal-ness of the house on the outside, prepare yourself for the inside. Julie, my new mother, _loves_ decorating with a passion. Each room is a different color but nothing ever clashes. The kitchen was painted a lively red with cream stripes fading to the bottom. The floor was a matching dark wood and the kitchen table and cabinets matched as well. The living room was a sky blue and had skylights in the top, while the dining room was painted a forest green. When given the tour of the house, I also noted that Sandra's room was themed like a beach, the master bedroom's was a calm peach color, and the room I shared with Shawn was a maroon shade. Despite the clutter left outside, nothing in the house was ever out of place.

"Ty, what are you doing up so early?"

I had been sitting at the desk in the room Shawn and I shared with the laptop on in front of me. Shawn had fallen asleep in front of the TV again last night and never made it back, so I had decided to not wake him up by watching TV and just settled to the computer. "Um, I can't help waking up this early," I said casually, glancing at the clock.

Sandra looked too. "Are you kidding? It's 5:30."

"I know."

She rolled her eyes. "Only you would wake up at 5:30 in the morning on a Sunday," she murmured.

"But you're awake too."

She laughed and took the seat beside me. "How are you going to keep in touch with your friends?" She asked me as she saw me browsing through my Photobucket account full of pictures everyone had uploaded.

I shrugged. "Haven't really thought about it yet."

"Think you'll see any of them in school tomorrow? That'd be pretty lucky for you if you did, on your first day and all."

I smirked, _luck huh?_ "I heard that a group of us were going to be 'relocated' together, so I'm kind of counting on it. But luck might have nothing to do with it," I said with a laugh as I looked at a picture of Raven, Terra, and Jinx.

"Do you have an email address or a screen name? So you can find a way to talk to them?" She asked suddenly as she watched me view the pictures, her figure hovering over my shoulder. I shook my head 'no' and she spent the next ten minutes setting me up with one.

"So, when you find any of your friends, just tell them your AIM name, okay? Mine is Sandynightsx17." Running out of the room, she came back with her laptop and typed something. Suddenly, the computer I was at had a pop up.

**Sandynightsx17:** See? This is how it works. Just type what you want where I told you then press enter.

**TyflashL09: **sweet so i just tell my friends 'tyflashl09' & they can do this too?

**Sandynightsx17:** yup, basically

**TyflashL09: **thx sandy

**Sandynightsx17:** haha, no problem

"Well, I have to go now. I have work downtown. Opens at 7 a.m. and I have to be there by 6 a.m." Both of uslooked at the clock again and saw that it was 5:45. "I work at a diner, we serve breakfast for the early birds." I laughed as she gave me a pointed look. "If you want, I can give you a ride downtown and you can wander around for a while. Shawn usually gets up around 9:30 and if you use the cell phone Mom and Dad gave you, you can call him for a ride home."

I nodded, not having any other plans for the day. "I'll meet you in the garage in five," I said as Sandy left the room. Quickly changing my clothes for a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, I ran a hand through my hair and went over to my bedside table. I grabbed the black cell phone I had been given and my wallet with the money I had gotten from the HVPA.

Running out of the front door, I hopped into Sandy's car and she backed out of the driveway. Sandy and Shawn looked almost nothing alike because, when I was with Shawn, it was almost understandable that we could pose as brothers, but Sandy was different. Instead of the same reddish hair as Shawn, she had, well, for a lack of better ways to put it, sandy colored hair. It was this light tan color and she had light freckles on her face, brown eyes, and pale skin. Right now, her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, her bangs coming out from beneath her large black sunglasses. She had a white polo on that had 'Karl's Diner' printed on it, and a black skirt. Basic uniform, I guessed.

"What is it like?" She asked me all of a sudden, snapping me out of my random thoughts while I looked out the window as we passed by the quiet town. I looked up at her with a questioning glance and she clarified her question. "Being a hero? I bet you had all sorts of adventures and friends and girls," she said with a laugh.

I laughed too, not at her question, but with her. "Well, the adventures took me around the world because I always worked with myself, and I wasn't really close with any friends. As for the girls, well, there was only one, and things took a while to kick off," I said with another laugh, thinking of what Jinx might have said if she was here. She'd probably scoff and punch me or something.

"What's her name?" Sandy asked with this 'You better tell me' tone in her voice. I hadn't told anyone else about Jinx, I think anything people know is from their own assumptions, so I didn't really know what I'd say about her and everything.

"Jinx, er, well, Jenn Kyng," I said finally, a very faint blush forming on my cheeks. "But we aren't really together, it's just like 'more then a friendship'." I admitted. "But I don't know where the Kyngs are, all I know is what her little brother, Carson, said-"

When I said this Sandy had this enlightened little smirk on her face and sighed a satisfied smile. But before I could ask her what was up, she announced that we had arrived at Karl's Diner and we got out of the car.

"I have my phone with me," she said, taking her pink razor out from her pocket, "So give a call if you need me. And Shawn will be up and about later, just try not to get into too much trouble," she added with a wink. I nodded and decided to wander around. I never said only in Lanesburg, but hey, a kid has the right to exercise too.

**.Terra.**

"I love you guys!" I exclaimed as I returned home again to 25 Princeton Drive. Kevin and Laura had just taken me shopping for new clothes and things. They were always saying I was like the daughter they never had.

"We love you too, Tarah," they said with a smile as they closed the door to my room.

I looked around. When I moved in, the room was completely empty, and over the past two days they let me do practically anything I wanted to it. And want to know what I did? I went online to the Photobucket my friends and I shared and opened up the folder of the pictures of our old homes and found the ones of my room. It took me hours and hours to do, but I made the walls look just like my old ones. The furniture followed the desert theme and I knew that this was my new home. I even had tan and gray beanbags that looked like rocks (but were more comfy) and a few skylights in the ceiling that looked pretty cool at night.

My closet had new clothes, most of which I would just mix and match so I wouldn't need to buy too much more, and they even let me keep their laptop in my room! I know it seems spoiled and it probably is, but I could never feel more grateful then I already do. I mean the world to them and there is no way I would let them down.

Taking my cell phone, I decided to call Raven. She had given me her home phone and I really wanted to hear that she was in a town even remotely close to mine.

As the phone rang, I drummed my fingers on my desk, the radio quietly playing. "Hello?" A voice said into the phone. Male, maybe our age, so I identified it as Rae's brother, Nate. He was going to be a sophomore in high school like most of us.

"Hi, um, is Rachel there?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure," came the reply before the phone was handed off. "Rae, it's yours."

"Hello?" When I heard the monotone reply, I felt so relieved.

"Rae!" Unsure if she could recognize my voice through the excited filter it ran through, I stated my name. "It's me! Tarah! Oh my gosh! It's only been like two days since I saw everyone and it's been so weird!"

She gave a small chuckle. "Oh, because you totally miss waking up to the smell of bacon and tofu on the stove," she said sarcastically.

I laughed. "Well? How are you! Tell me about your family and your house!"

Getting up, I heard the garage door open as Laura and Kevin left on some errands. "Life is life. Mom is single handedly juggling around my brother, my two sisters, and myself, and she's doing a good job too. Cassie's going to be a senior and tomorrow, when school starts, she promised to help me around. But her peppy-ness is almost suffocating; she's just like Star. Nate's pretty cool, he's always running around doing sports and what not, so he's not really interactive with me that much. I'd imagine that'll change in school though. And Sadie's so quiet and shy, I don't know much about her yet."

I nodded, now in the kitchen. Washing my hands as I went to grab a ham sandwich from the fridge, I also grabbed bottled water and decided to eat it out front on the porch. "That sounds exciting though. Getting to learn about your siblings. I wish you luck," I said with a smile as I took a sip of my water before fumbling for the door.

"So, where were you relocated?" I asked as I left the front door partly ajar, sitting in a wodden chair on the porch. I stared down the street at the mailboxes. Kyng, Smith, Archambault, Martin. My new neighbors. Turning my view to straight ahead, I looked at the mailbox that had no name on it. The number was 26 and the front yard suggested someone who played sports.

Looking at the windows, I saw each room had the shades open and looked all bright and ordinary, except for one room, which would be directly across the street from mine. The shades were down and I saw the shadow of a figure pacing back and forth. I was probably imagining it though...

_It couldn't be..._ I murmured to myself. Before she could answer, I spoke again. "Rae. Turn on your light."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

On cue, the light across the street turned on and I felt like exploding with joy. "Look out the window."

All of a sudden, the shade pulled away and before I could even see her, I took action. Quickly hanging up the phone, I ran across the street, my bare feet ignoring the rocks on the ground. Ringing the doorbell, Nate opened the door, but I saw Raven coming down the stairs. Without a single word to Nate, I ran by, leaving him confused by the doorway as I hugged Raven.

"What the- Tarah?" She seemed stunned, her reaction delayed before she slightly returned the hug. "How did you know-?"

"I live across the street!" I practically shouted before getting a hold of myself. I looked behind me and saw Nate looking at me as if I was just beamed down from a space ship. Reaching out my hand, I gave him a smile. "Hi, I'm Tarah."

"Nate," he replied, still a bit confused. He shook my hand anyway. He was taller than Rae and I, maybe just a inch shorter than Kid Flash. He had very blonde hair and had blue-gray eyes. He had a Langsfield High School soccer sweatshirt on and khaki shorts. "So, if you live across the street, you must be the Harvey's 'daughter'," he asked, more in the form of a statement.

I nodded. I was proud to be a Harvey.

"I used to do their lawn, they're nice. You'll like it there." He said simply. "Well, the guys and I are playing soccer then heading to the skate park. Rae, tell Mom for me, kay? I have the cell if you need to call. Oh, and Sadie is still at our Gram's, so you don't need to worry about her. Hang out with Tarah for the day, not much else is going on." At that he ran up the stairs, grabbed a skateboard, a backpack, and a helmet, and sped out the door.

Then there was silence.

"So... what do you want to do?" I asked her to break the stillness of the silence.

Rae shrugged and picked up a flyer that was on the bulletin board next to the door. She looked at a map of the town, eyes scanning for whatever might appear appealing. "There's a pizza place here," she said, pointing to a little red dot labeled 'Harry's Pizza'. I nodded, following her plan.

"We can eat something then wander around for a while." I said enthusiastically. "Sounds like a deal! Let me just call home and leave a message on the machine."

As I dialed my home phone, Rae scribbled a note for her family in a notebook and left it on the table. I looked at it curiously and she explained. "When Erin isn't home, she leaves the notebook out so we 'sign out'. Nate's name was already there, 'skate park w/ guys' written next to it and the time from a little while ago. Under it was Raven's cursive writing 'with a friend' and the current time of 12:38 p.m.

"All set?"

"Yup."

Then it dawned on me. "How are we going to get there?"

Just then Nate came running back in the house. "I took the wrong skateboard," he muttered as he zipped by the pair of us who were now in the kitchen. He ran into the garage and Raven and I followed.

As Nate jumped and dodged the random sports gear he had piled in the garage, my eyes fell on two bikes. One was probably his because it looked like a mountain bike, but the other was a dark blue road bike.

"Hey Nate? Can we use those bikes?" I asked from the garage steps as he rummaged around for his skateboard. He looked up at me, his face a little smudged with dirt. I pointed to the ones I was talking about and he shrugged.

"Sure. The black and gold one is mine," he said, describing the mountain bike, "And the blue one is Cassie's. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't care if you guys used it."

Raven sighed. "I'll take the dark blue one," she murmured as she pressed the garage door opener and walked over to the bike. Taking the matching helmet, she reluctantly put it on over her violet hair.

I smiled and ran over to the other one, putting the black helmet with a visor on that had been hanging off the handlebars. I hopped on right away but Raven wheeled it out of the garage before throwing a leg over.

"Thanks!" I called back to Nate as the two of us began biking down the street.

"No problem!" He called back, emerging out of the driveway as the door began closing. "Um... where are you guys headed?"

Raven stopped and I continued riding at a slow pace. "Harry's Pizza?" she said, unsure.

Nate laughed. "You guys are headed out of town if you follow the road all the way down that way. It's this way, come on, I'll show you."

Laughing, I turned around and Rae and I biked over to where Nate was before the three of us began our trek towards the center of town.

**.Kid Flash.**

Food would be a good idea right about now... I had just run back to Jump City, out of curiosity. I wasn't a big hero there and I wasn't in costume, so I figured the risks of being identified were smaller.

It was a wreck. Still. It was tiring walking around the city having to hear everything about heroes in the news and in people's daily conversations.

A small bell rang as I opened the door to some pizza place downtown. I practically inhaled the slice of pepperoni I ordered and regretted not asking my new parents for more money for food.

Just then I heard my cell phone ring and vibrate in my pocket. I saw a picture of Shawn on the display screen and picked up, answering with a simple "Hello?"

I heard some mumbling in the background before Shawn's voice came in. "Hey Ty, sorry I haven't picked you up yet. I'm hanging around with the guys at the park, wanna meet me there? We might be a while."

"I don't skate though," I said into the phone. "Not like I can magically make a skateboard appear."

He laughed. "Right now they're trying to hit on some girls. Don't worry about the skating."

Now it was my turn to laugh. "Fine. I'll be there. But just because I have nothing else to do and to make sure you guys aren't tormenting those girls." We said goodbye and hung up.

As I turned to the door, I saw a girl staring at me from her window seat, a half eaten slice of pizza in front of her. She was just staring at me and I wondered why but didn't say anything.

"You're... hey, come here," she murmured. Confused, I obliged.

"You're in the HVPA, right?" she asked in a hushed tone.

I looked at this girl, my eyes wide open. She had a Harry's Pizza uniform on and it seemed like I recognized her from somewhere... She had brown hair pulled into a ponytail and brown eyes... "Depends. Who are you?" I asked hesitantly. I usually see a face and remember the name, but I was drawing a blank.

"Did you know Kid Wykkyd?"

I raised an eyebrow at the mention of Jinx's old teammate. "Maybe. Why?"

She smiled. "Oh. Well, I know him. I think I've met you... Tyler, right?"

I nodded. "I think I've met you too, but your name escapes me," I admitted.

"Lisa. Cray. My dad's in the HVPA and I saw you got reassigned in the same down as Kyle. His birthday is coming up later and I wanted to find out which of his friends live around here."

"Oh," I said, nodding. "Well, I'm open to seeing everyone again. Do you need my number?"

She thought about it and nodded. We swapped phones so we could put the numbers in quickly. "Well, I have to go, catching up with my brother."

She smiled, "Nice meeting you again," she said with a laugh.

"Same here," I replied before the little bell rang as I exited the building.

Walking down the street, a thought suddenly hit me. I ran back (at a slow speed), relieved to see that she was still there. "You said you looked for Kyle's friends, right?" I asked. Lisa nodded. "Did you happen to find anything on a girl named Jenn Kyng?"

Lisa looked up to the ceiling thoughtfully. "Jennifer Kyng... Jinx?" I shook my head up and down. "I think she's in Lanesburg too... not sure though. When I get home I can check and call you."

I beamed and thanked her as I left again. _Jinx! She might be here!_ I repeated these thoughts over and over in my head while I jogged towards the skate park. It was definitely the news of the day for me.

**.Raven.**

"Tarah, what are we doing? We said we'd follow Nate into town, but not to the skate park too," I murmured as the two of us continued tailing behind my brother.

She just smiled. "Come on, Rae! I wanna see what Nate and his friends can do. I've never seen people do tricks and stuff outside of a TV. It'll be fun! Besides, the pizza place is just down there," she said, throwing a finger over her shoulder where we passed Main Street.

As we neared one of the large ramps, Nate went and climbed up the ramp and greeted everyone up there. I went up second, leaving Tarah last (she was wearing a jean skirt). When we made it up, I saw half a dozen other guys that were fixing up their skateboards, stuffing food in their mouth, or mindlessly leaning on the wooden rail and just talking.

"Hey N," one of them greeted as they high-fived Nate. "Sup? Who are they?"

Nate half smiled and introduced us. "This is my new sister Rae, and this is her friend, Tarah," he said. Tarah smiled at the group and I gave a halfhearted nod.

One of them, with long shaggy blonde hair over his eyes, tilted his head up. "Whoa, dude, you have a sister? I thought she was Cassie. She's pretty hott..."

Another one replied. "No, idiot, he has two, well, three sisters now. Cassie, Sadie, and, Rae, now, I guess," he said. I nodded at the redhead who closely resembled some snowboarder I saw on the news once. "My name's Shawn," he said, holding out his hand for Tarah and I to shake. "Don't mind Shaggy over there, well, his name is James, but he's pretty much harmless."

"N, when did you get another sister?" one of the guys asked and Nate, Tarah, and I exchanged unsure glances.

Trying to think of a believable lie, I knew it wouldn't be hard to fool the group, but Shawn seemed like he might be able to sniff out a lie. "Rae and I came from the same home and when we couldn't live there any more, we got put in a program where families would adopt us." Tarah said quickly, a sigh of relief coming from our mouths.

Shawn looked thoughtful and nodded as the rest of the guys stared at the clouds going by. "Same thing here actually..." Taking a small piece of chalk, he wrote 'HVPA?' on the ramp and poured water on it as soon as the three of us read it. Unsure what to do, we nodded. "Ahh. I got a 'new brother' too. Maybe you know him," he said, addressing Tarah and me. "Red hair, blue eyes, kinda tall-"

"Looks a lot like me?"

Hearing the voice, four pairs of eyes looked to the bottom of the ramp.

"Hey Kid-!" Terra exclaimed before catching herself. "What's up, Ty?"

As he climbed up the ramp, he gave us each a smile. "See you guys met my brother. Hope he didn't scare you," he said with a laugh, punching Shawn in the shoulder. I rolled my eyes. "You guys in Lanesburg too?"

"Princeton Drive," I murmured. "She lives across the street from me."

Kid Flash nodded. "I'm up on Northwest Main Street." We nodded too, trying to etch that into our memory. "Have you seen anyone else? I've caught up with Lisa Cray, I'm not sure if you remember her, but she's practically _Kyle_'s mouth."

"Well, I've only found you and Rae so far," Tarah muttered somewhat bitterly. "We all _need_ to keep in touch."

"Do you have a screen name?" Ty asked. Tarah nodded. "My sister, Sandy, made me one this morning. It's **TyflashL09**."

Tarah took a pen she found lying around and wrote it on her arm. "Mine is **RockinGrlH2**." They both looked at me expectantly and I did have to admit that Cassie had set me up with an AIM screen name earlier in the day.

"**RaeMwings**," I muttered. She had asked me what I wanted the name to be and I didn't come up with anything so she put my nickname, our last initial, and asked me what my favorite bird was. Raven, of course, and she said, 'Oh, a bird? I'll put wings'. "Don't ask. Cassie made it."

Nate laughed and gave his as well. "Mine is **xNMxsktrx**," he said, spelling it out as Tarah wrote it on her arm under mine.

"**Skt1nLyf3**," Shawn muttered with a lopsided smile. "Not hard to understand it's mine," he laughed.

Ty then pulled Tarah and I over to the side, his voice hushed. "When I talked to Lisa, she said she knew the other people that were 'relocated' in Lanesburg. I'm not sure if Jinx is one of them... I have her cell phone number and we can drop by later and ask..."

We agreed, but it never happened. As the sun began to set for the day, we all decided to snag a slice of pizza before returning home. Nate and I got home just as their grandmother dropped off Sadie, their mom arriving not too long after. And none of us made it to AIM either because the next day was the first day of school...

* * *

_Edited chapter re-posted on 5/31/12._


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three.**

**.Jinx.**

_Beep, beep, beep._

_Beep, beep, beep._

_Beep, beep, bee-_

Sending a wave of pink energy at the _extremely_ annoying alarm clock, I immediately regretted it as Carson came running into the room. "Nngh," I moaned, my face under my pillow, pulling the sheets over my head.

"Jenn. Jenn... Jenn... Jinx," he murmured, opening the shades to reveal my rather large and rather bright window. "Come on, you have to get up. It's 6 a.m. and you have to be at the bus stop at 6:40 or else they'll leave without you. Mom said you should be all set but if you need anything just ask. Breakfast is on the table and the school sent in your schedule," he informed me, handing me an envelope. "You can come to eat before you change if you'd like. Also, Mom and Dad are leaving early today, and my friend is picking me up..." The doorbell interrupted him, "now, so yeah. I have my cell if you need anything but, um, have a good time during your first day! I heard the sophomores aren't that bad. Good luck!"

I nodded him a thanks as he scampered away before I ripped open the envelope. There was a welcome letter, a student ID, a schedule, a supply list, and a map of the school. My eyes were first drawn to the ID, and I laughed at the picture. It was me right as I left the HVPA underground facility. A pretty picture, but I was still getting used to seeing Jenn Kyng, not Jinx. The map of the school caught my eye next. Wow was it going to be huge! There was an auditorium that was next to the cafeteria that was next to the gym. The school had a shop room, a home EC room, a pool, a band/chorus room, and a bunch more. It had three floors, but I'd only be on the first two, since the freshman classes were all upstairs, strangely, with the senior classes.

After the map I looked at the schedule and cringed. Honors, AP, honors, honors, honors... Sheesh. Are they trying to kill me? How did I even get into honors Spanish III when I never took it? And AP History? You _have_ to be kidding me.

Stuffing all of the paper work inside a folder of my large black binder, I placed it in my dark blue-ish/violet messenger bag and threw it on my bed. Quickly grabbing a towel, I hopped in the shower, forgetting that Carson said I could go downstairs to eat first. Welcoming the warm water, my nice shower was cut short as ice cold water sprayed out of the shower head. "EEP! Just my luck." Cringing, I just quickly rinsed off and wrapped a towel around my freezing body, my hair plastered to the back of my neck as I scampered into my room.

Wandering to my closet, I picked out an outfit for my first day: A black cami with little sparkles towards the top of it, a dark purple tank top that had square silver sequins sewed around the low V-shaped neck (this is where the cami came in). I liked the top, hah, it showed that I did have something in the front. I tied a black sash/belt around my slim waist and wore a pair of black pants for bottoms. The pants hugged my body before spreading out before they reached my feet, where I wore black flip flops. For my hair, I french braided it into two braids on either side of my face and put on only a little make up. Slipping on a little bracelet that had the Japanese character for 'Luck',

I smiled at my reflection in my floor length mirror. Sliding on a small silver watch, I looked down. Ten more minutes, I still had time.

Grabbing my bag I slung it over one shoulder and ran down the stairs towards the kitchen.

"_Dear Jenn,_

_I hope you like living with us, it sure if a blessing having you as a daughter. We're sorry that we can't be there for you for your first day! Behind this is $5, so you can get lunch in school. I hope it all goes well! Good luck! We love you!"_

I smiled as I read the note that had been left for me on the door of the fridge. Then, in a hurry, I took the magnet off it and grabbed the five dollar bill that was behind it. Stuffing it into the pocket of my pants, I saw that the toast that had been left on the counter had gone cold.

"I shoulda eaten it before," I murmured to myself before popping the toast back into the toaster. Running back over to the fridge, I grabbed the carton of orange juice and searched the cabinets for a glass. Pouring myself some, I have no clue how, but I happened to lost track of time.

"CRAP!" Yup. That was the only word that came to mind when I saw the clock below the microwave read '6:39 a.m.'. "I have one minute until the bus comes!" Moaning, I grabbed my backpack and a small black coat and burst out the door... just to get caught in a downpour as the bright yellow bus zoomed by. I missed the bus, but the bus didn't miss me, for, as it went by, it just happened to splash quite the wave of water onto me.

Retreating back inside the house, I wanted to find an umbrella before I left. Just because. So as I, in my soggy wet flip flops, made my way to the coat closet to grab an umbrella, I smelled something. Something like... "SMOKE?"

_I FORGOT THE TOAST!_

Scampering over to the toaster, I quickly unplugged it and took out the two pieces of 'toast', along with quite the pile of ashes. Dumping it all into the compost pile, I looked at the clock again. 5 more minutes had gone by. "AARGH!" Resisting the oh-so-tempting urge to just... take out my anger, I grabbed the umbrella and my bag and ran out the door.

Slightly jogging to the direction I knew the school was at, I sighed. Usually my bad luck was mine because I directed it to others, but now it was actually _mine_. Ugh. Just my luck.

**.Beastboy.**

As my bus pulled into the bus loop and the doors squealed as everyone poured out of the bright yellow vehicle, I couldn't help but think how cool it would look if only Cyborg could give it a paint job and tune it up a bit. That'd be awesome.

"Hey Bry! You planning on getting out? Getting to the bus loop doesn't count as going to school!"

I shook my head to see the entire bus empty but me and my new brother waiting for me at the door. "Heh, just kidding, I was just making sure you'd remember me," I muttered as I grabbed my backpack, slung one strap over my shoulder and hopped out. "So this is my new high school," I murmured to myself as I looked at the rather large building.

"So, you got off the bus and now you wanna stand in the rain? What would you _do_ without me?" Jake laughed as he pulled me towards the front door. Shaking his head, the beads of water dripped off his dirty blond hair and sprayed everywhere, but no one seemed to care.

Okay, I've evacuated cities, been in mobs of villains, and tried cutting a line to a rest stop bathroom, but _nothing_ prepared me for the mad rush of high schoolers that all tried to fit between two open doors... all at once. "Uhm, Jake? What's wrong with that door?" I asked as I got elbowed in the gut. I pointed, well, motioned over to a door that missed all of the commotion, just staying there, closed.

He laughed. "No one wants to open it themselves." And just like that, he walked up to it calmly, opened the door, and the two of us slipped in, ignoring the large jam in the other doorway. "Come on, freshmen and sophomores have to go to the auditorium before homeroom. Same old dumb 'Let's introduce the teachers to you AGAIN' routine." I laughed. "But this is the time everyone scouts around the room for familiar faces." My thoughts wandered to Tarah... I wonder if she and the others are here... "Haha! I bet I know who you're thinking of. And I bet I know where she is too."

My eyes widened and I turned to him, my hand twitching as if I couldn't handle the news. "Tell. Me." I muttered and he raised an eyebrow.

"Her last name is... Harvey, right?" I nodded my head, slowly, but surely. "And you mentioned that she's friends with a girl named... Rachel Vaughn, right?" I nodded again, eager for him to get on with it. "Well, if they're doing what you're doing and following someone else around, then I know _exactly_ where they are."

I felt like both strangling him and going to the ground and kneeling. "TELL ME ALREADY!" I nearly shouted, my voice escalating as more excitement gripped me.

Jake bit his lip before cracking up. "Geez, Bryce, getta grip. Come on, follow me."

The two of us entered the auditorium and it was HUGE. The stage seemed wicked big from far away, and I mean far away, so I wouldn't even want to know what it would be like up close. Looking around, the seats were split into three main sections, then there were the seats in the furthest back, above the stairs. That's where Jake led me.

In the first two rows of the back two sections, I looked away, disgusted. Typical. There's always that group of high schoolers that are always attached, not only at the mouth, but everywhere else too. And there were _two rows_ of them. "Don't get near them, they'll catch ya," Jake joked.

"Not like I was planning to," I retorted as the two of us continued up. Stopping at the middle, we were at the row right above the doorway for the stairs.

"N!"

"J!"

Looking in wonder, I saw Jake high five some other kid. He had really blond hair, blue-gray eyes, and a Langsfield High Track sweatshirt on over khaki shorts. "Dude, Bry, this is Nate Vaughn. One of the guys I hang out with."

Muttering a quick 'hey', I heard a muffled voice from behind. "Bry? As in... BRYCE?" I saw Tarah's blond head pop up out of nowhere as she tried walking around Nate and Jake. She quickly flung her arms around me in a hug. "We're going to the same high school?" She was so excited that she didn't wait for a reply from me before she dragged Rae out of the row too.

"Hey Rae," I said with a smile, giving her a small hug too.

"Hey Bryce," she muttered back, not returning the hug.

Shrugging, I turned back to Tarah, not sure what had put Rachel in such a bad mood. "Hey, do you know who else is here? Besides me and Rae?"

Tarah sighed, shaking her head. "I was kind of hoping I'd find everyone else too... I heard Star is definitely not here. And same for Cyborg, Bumblebee, SeeMore, and Mammoth... I don't know about Gizmo, Mas, or Menos, they're younger than us, not high school yet, so they could be in the same town, I suppose. Not sure though."

I nodded but before the conversation could be continued, an old but sharp voice gathered out attention as the orientation assembly began.

**.Jinx.**

_I'm late. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'M LATE!_

I had been running for who knows how long and was nearing the school… I think.

"Need some luck?"

I turned my head to the street and saw a car roll up, the window down with a guy, probably my age, looking out the window with an eyebrow raised.

Raising an eyebrow myself, I turned and just kept running, but the car stayed along side. The guy faked a yawn the further I went, the umbrella I had barely protecting me from any rain.

He honked the horn and I turned around, sending him an icy glare, but he just smirked. "Look, hun, you can keep running all you want, or you can hop in, say thanks, and get to school a lil bit dryer."

I looked at him skeptically. "And I would want your help because...?"

He smiled again. "I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart, and you look like you could use some help."

Looking at my watch, I knew was late enough as it is. "Fine," I muttered. "I don't even care any more." I hopped into the back seat and avoided the curious looks he was giving me in the rearview mirror.

"Come on. I'm giving you a ride, least you can do is sit up front so I can talk to you."

"Look, I need a ride, I said nothing about a conversation, so drive," I muttered bitterly, not even bothering to get a look at who let me in. For the next two minutes of the ride, I remained silent, ignoring the chitchat that the driver tried making.

When we reached the school, I hopped out before he even parked, quickly scurrying into the building, standing in the lobby for a second to wring out my braids and my clothes, deciding to leave my umbrella there.

After deeming myself 'good enough', I went to open the door before...

"Hey! You! Yeah you! Pink hair! Way to be grateful! I give you a ride and I don't even get a name?"

"Leah." I randomly shouted over my shoulder as I stormed away from him, who followed.

"Leah, eh? That your name?"

I scoffed. "No. But you wanted a name, so I gave you one." He groaned and I continued on, following the 'freshmen and sophomores this way' arrows plastered around the lobby, opening the doors to, what I assumed, was the auditorium. Stepping in, there were double doors, so I wasn't in the auditorium yet. Turning around, I realized the stupid guy was still following me. "Shouldn't you be in class?" I snapped.

"Funny you should ask," he started, "you see-"

Before he could finish I burst through the doors, entering the dark auditorium where I felt a hand grab my arm. "Miss, you just caught the closing five minutes of orientation!" an old lady scolded, her grip tightening around my wrist. "Let me see your student ID."

Fumbling with my soggy bag, I quickly took out the ID card and handed it to the woman, who just shook her head. "Not a good way to start the year, Jennifer. Sit here," she pointed to one of two empty seats. I rolled my eyes, but smirked at the fact that I had lost the stalker guy- "You too, Caleb. Since you are here, take a seat next to her."

Now I was the one who groaned, but Caleb wore a smirk on his face. "Jennifer, eh? Nice to meet you. Caleb Johnson," he introduced himself quietly. I ignored it. Do you know how hard it is to try and get someone to leave _without_ physically injuring them?

**.Kid Flash.**

Shawn left quite the Langsfield impression on the school, that's for sure. Academically he wasn't the brightest, so when I came along, not to brag, teachers thought twice about Langsfield boys. I've already been told I'm the same kind of social butterfly, and I did make 'friends' pretty fast, even though none of them were through my own doing.

"Tyler! Hey, sit with me at lunch, okay?" one girl had asked me when I walked out of homeroom before she even told me her name. I politely declined, still insisting (only to Shawn) that I needed to find my real friends.

I hadn't seen any of them... maybe we weren't relocated all together... Hm. Nevertheless, the first five periods went by in a flash, hah, no joke intended. They probably just seemed fast because I was so oblivious to my surroundings; I just wanted the day to be over. So when lunch came, I just sighed. "Half the day gone..."

Snagging a spot in the lunch line, I grabbed an apple and a Gatorade and juggled the two between my hands as I waited to check out. I swear I kept seeing or hearing my friends, but by now I accepted it as wishful thinking. _Right now I swear I could hear Beastboy trying to crack a joke..._

"And Rae was like 'whoa!' and Tarah was all 'HAHA!' and I just smirked. Tofu brings good times."

Yup. I can pretty much hear him saying that. And Tarah would be cracking up and Rae would just be there with this total uninterested look... Yup. I can see it... as if it was almost happening.

"Dude! Wanna see me juggle three oranges with one hand?" He'd have this odd laugh before attempting to juggle, eventually failing the feat, causing the oranges to fly out of control before-

"LOOK OUT!"

I turned around and, sure enough, I had an orange hurdling towards my face. Luckily, my reflexes were fast enough to catch it before it made contact with my face. "Erm... orange?"

"Kid- er, Ty?" Hearing Tarah's voice, I turned until, sure enough, I saw her, Rae and Bryce right beside. "Heyy!" They waved.

"Okay, hun, we ain't got all day. Pay for the stuff and scoot!" said a cranky lunch lady before I realized the whole line had moved. Quickly paying for my food, (and making note not to get on the lunch lady's bad side), I made my way over to where the three of them were.

"What luck!" I said, mentally smacking myself for the reminder of the person I _still_ haven't found. I quickly got over it, flashing a smile as the three of them looked just as relieved to see me. "How are you guys?"

"Good, it's all good," Raven replied with such a lack of enthusiasm that I knew she was just plain out tired. Her monotone voice seemed to be lacking its usual sarcastic tone. Maybe she's having a bad day...

**.Jinx.**

It's official. Today is one of the worst days ever. I'm not even going to deny it.

First off, everything that could possibly go wrong today, went wrong. To start it was the mishaps of the morning. No warm water, burning the toast (and almost the whole house), missing the bus, the sudden downpour, the 'stalker' kid, missing orientation, being late to homeroom because my locker jammed, stepping in a wad of gum in English, getting a cut from a protractor in geometry, setting off the fire alarm in home EC. I think the school is trying to tell me something.

So, now we hit lunch time. Wonder what I'm in store for now.

Ooh, the 'hot lunch' of the day: pizza sticks and a 'salad'. More like the pieces that were rejected out of the normal salads.

My cat-like eyes scanned the rather large cafeteria, resting on the only table that seemed to have an open seat. And not to be stereotypical, but the table didn't look like the best group to sit with to get a good impression. Not to be mean, but the large framed glasses, short pants, high socks, and open textbooks... well, you know what they looked like. With a sigh, I made my way over to the table, not seeing any other open ones.

"Hi," I mumbled as I took a seat, putting my tray on the table. As soon as I sat, both seats on either side of me suddenly freed up as everyone scrunched to the other side of the table.

"Your hair.. it's pink," one murmured with a disapproving tone. She was the only one to address me at all and I rolled my eyes, resigning myself to a lonely lunch.

Kicking my flip-flops out as I chewed, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Go away, Caleb," I muttered crossly over my shoulder as I took a sip of my chocolate milk.

"Aww, but I was going to invite you to sit with me and my friends," he murmured, faking disappointment. "You looked bored."

"Why would you care?" I retorted before grabbing my tray. Turning around, I hadn't been aware of how close he was behind me because, -WHAM-, there went the leftovers of my food.

I blinked. Without even wasting a word on him, I stormed over towards the lunch line again to grab a handful of napkins after receiving a dirty look from one of the janitors.

"Aww, come on, don't hate me," he whined.

"Too late," I snapped as I practically stomped a staccato accent with each step I took. In my little cloud of fury, I didn't even pay attention to where I was walking until, -WHAM-.

"What the hell? It's like the world wants to kill me today!" I couldn't help but blurt out as I fell to the ground. My legs out in a 'w' shape as I sat, I rubbed my head, my french braids surprisingly still there.

"Need a little luck?"

Smirking, I didn't look up, afraid that I was just imagining the all-too-familiar voice. Afraid that, if I looked up, no one would be there.

Please, please, _please_ not be my imagination. Please. I need.. I need just a little luck. Please be him... just a little luck...

* * *

_Edited chapter re-posted on 5/31/12._


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four.**

**.Kid Flash.**

_No way! _

"Jinx," I murmured under my breath...

S was definitely a sight for sore eyes, although it seemed like she was more sore than I was.

"HEY! Who said you could call her a 'Jinx', eh, buddy?"

Raising an eyebrow at the voice, I turned to the guy standing behind her that seemed more like a bother then a friend. He had short dark brown (and I mean _really _dark, almost black) hair and freckles. My height, he had baggy khakis, a grey T-shirt, and an unbuttoned red short-sleeved shirt on over it.

"Ty!"

Looking down to where _Jenn_ was, I realized I couldn't be happier and she looked almost as happy to see me (well, happy for Jinx anyway). I gave her my hand and she took it, a small smile on her face accompanied by a faint blush. "Who knew you'd ever be this happy to see me," I murmured casually with a wink as she brushed off her clothes and rolled her eyes.

Her faint rosy blush deepened. "Shut up, who said I was happy, for all _you_ know I could be ready to kill you," she said with a smirk.

"Riight. That's why your face is resembling a strawberry," I retorted. She playfully punched me in the arm. It was then that I took a good look at her. "I like the look. It's very... _you_," I said with a smile. She scoffed but I know a small smilecrept onto her face. "But I don't think that the lettuce compliments all of the purples," I joked, reaching out and taking away a piece of lettuce that had been resting on her braid.

"Shut up," she replied simply, sticking out her tongue.

"Hey, just sayin-"

"Hey, she said 'Shut Up', buddy," the other guy said, his tone very aggravated and annoyed. He walked towards Jinx and she took a step away. And it continued for a little bit: him getting closer, her stepping away.

I looked at him questioningly and Jenn rolled her eyes. "The name isn't _Buddy_," I said simply. "Jenn, who is this guy?" I then asked, turning to her and tossing a hand over my shoulder. She turned and glared daggers at him.

"This is the most annoying being in this school at the moment," she muttered through clenched teeth. "He's been stalking me all day; waiting outside of my classes, talking to me in the hallways, hovering over my shoulder," she complained, her fists closing. _Uh oh_. Not only closing, but there was a faint glow of pink around them. I reached out and grabbed her two hands before she blew her cover. I didn't want to know what would happen if she was re-relocated. "The kid is so close to really pissing me off, you _don't_ know how bad I wanna beat him up. SO annoying."

"Hey, so, annoying, hm? Does annoying have a name?" I asked, trying to not bring attention to our hands, mine still covering hers as I could feel the hexes dying to get out. Of course, Mr. Annoying had to notice since Jenn looked down too.

The other kid glared at me, eyeing my hands. "Caleb. Johnson. What's it to you?"

Johnson? Sounded familiar. Probably just because it's a common name...

I grinned. My turn to have a little fun. "Caleb, eh? The name's Tyler Langsfield, and I have a piece of advice for you Caleb. When a lady like this tells me that she is extremely close to kicking the shit out of someone, I have to be a gentlemen and offer to do it for her. And what you're doing seems close to stalking, and, sorry, but I am already her official stalker."

Jenn burst into a somewhat quiet laughing fit and I grinned. "And he finally admits he stalks," she murmured before clearing her throat and shaking her head, her arms waving a giant 'X' through the air. "No, no, no. I don't _need_ a stalker and I don't _want_ a stalker. You two can either be a friend, or an enemy. And _I_ am the one that makes the decision." I smirked. _Same old Jinx..._

"It's a free country, you know," I joked. "And who's gonna turn me in?" I added as a little side joke.

"Hey, if she says back off, back off," Caleb muttered under his breath, but loud enough for me to hear.

I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. "So, does that mean you'll back off?" I asked.

"No."

Rolling her eyes again, Jenn groaned. "Why are you so interested in me?" Oh how that line brought back memories of when we first met... Well, I had already known her before, but the first time she met me...

**_Kid Flash:_**_Don't have much of an attention span, do they?  
**Jinx:** You have no idea— Stop that! Who do you work with?  
**Kid Flash:** I work alone these days. You got a nice place. Very…secret-lair.  
**Jinx:** Quit changing the subject!  
**Kid Flash:** Does it bother you that all those guys never listen to you?  
**Jinx:** Why are you so interested in me?  
**Kid Flash:** There's something about you that's different. I think you can do better._

Shaking my head out of the little memory, I looked to see Caleb's response. "Why not?

I smacked my head. "You're an idiot," Jenn and I muttered at the same time before laughing a bit. Just then, the lunch bell rang, signaling the end of lunch and the beginning of the second to last class.

"What class do you have next?" I asked, ignoring Caleb seeing how I didn't really want to waste any energy acknowledging his existence.

"Gym," she murmured, slipping her schedule out from her pocket. "And then I have Algebra II Honors..."

I smirked, giving her a little pat-on-the-back. "An honors student, eh? I knew you were smart. And to think you denied it. I knew it from the get-go."

**_Kid Flash:_**_Why do you hang around with those losers? That team of yours is only holding you back.  
**Jinx:** I know! That's what I keep telling— What do you know?  
**Kid Flash:** I know that you're too smart for all this.  
**Jinx:** Oh, is this the part where you try and convert me? Make me see the error of my ways? You're wasting your time._

_Hah. I wonder what she'd do if she knew that I would end up converting her. Wasn't a waste of time, now, was it?_

_Wait, gym? _"Hey! I have gym next too!" I quickly grabbed the schedule out of her hands and compared it to mine as we slowly made our way to the gym. "Awesome! Check this out! I have Computer Programming, Spanish III Honors, English III Honors, and Gym with you!" I exclaimed happily.

Caleb scoffed. "Oh yeah? I have almost all of the same classes as her," he muttered, throwing his schedule on top of ours. I compared. He was right.

"How is that possible? You're a junior, aren't you? Because you drive..." Jenn looked at him quizzically. "And why are you following us to the gym?"

He smirked and put his arm around Jenn as he spoke. "I missed the bus this morning, so I took one of my dad's cars. No biggie."

I stared at his arm and Jenn twitched. Her fists clenched and she stopped walking, not even turning her head. "Touch me again and you'll wish you were never born." At that she shrugged off his arm, walked around the other side of me, and then ignored Caleb completely. There was definitely a good and bad thing to the Caleb situation. The bad thing being he was annoying as hell and I'd probably find very little 'Jinx and Kid Flash' time, err, 'Jenn and Ty' time. But the good thing was that he was driving her so far away from him that she would be closer to me. Eh. It works.

"Oh yeah! I forgot! Jenn, I saw a few of the others today!" I practically shouted, waving my arms to get her attention. She looked at me, wide eyed. "Yeah! I found BB, Terra, Rae-" Her eyes got wider and I realized what I was doing. Clearing my throat, I started again. Caleb, still walking with us, raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I found Bryce, Tarah, and Rachel." I corrected myself. "Have you bumped into anyone?"

Jenn shook her head. "Well, you," she muttered. We then took a right turn into the gym where... "DAMN IT! Why do I _always_ end up on the ground?"

Laughing at her a bit, I gave her my hand to help her up before getting a good look at who she had collided with. "Speedy!"

**.Speedy.**

I winced. Way to slip up there, Kid Flash.

I had been walking out of the Lanesburg High School Gym before my... 'run-in' with two other _marked_. I automatically recognized both as none other than Kid Flash and Jinx, their hair being the dead give-away. As Kid Flash helped her off the ground, I heard Jinx mutter a quiet 'Oops'.

Smiling at them and giving a small wink, I reached out my hand. "The name's Sam. Cougar."

"Ty Langsfield," Kid Flash returned, shaking my hand and giving me a slight nod. "And this, here, is Jenn Kyng." She gave me a small nod as well before I pointed them in the other direction.

"The gym teachers want us all in the locker rooms so she can give us uniforms and gym lockers. After that, we're going to end up in the gym to play a game for whatever class time we have left," I informed them as the three of us made our way towards the locker rooms. Jenn waved a small good-bye as she entered the girl's locker room before Ty and I reached the boy's.

"Alright boys, the name's Coach C. For the rest of your sophomore year you'll be in and out of this locker room, so there are a couple of rules to follow. One, don't lose your lock. Two, keep it clean. We don't want to have to skip gym because we have to scrub the lockers clean. Three, no horseplay in here. Don't want anyone whisked over to the ER again. And four, keep track of _your_ uniform. We don't want one shirt passed around to every one of the guys in the school." I think Ty and I were the only ones that acknowledged that Coach was even talking because the others were already stuffing the smaller guys into the gym lockers. Grabbing my gym uniform, I quickly changed into the blue shorts and white T-shirt with 'Lanesburg' printed on the front and on the sleeves. "Now, boys, change and meet the girls in the gym. We're starting floor hockey today! Go, go, GO!"

Rolling my eyes, I quickly changed before Ty and I went to meet Jenn in the gym. She had taken her hair out of the two french braids and had it in a normal pony tail. She had shorter blue shorts and a white 'Lanesburg' tank top. "Aren't you excited, we're starting floor hockey," she muttered as Ty and I approached, her tone of voice clearly not as excited as she could be.

Ty smirked and elbowed her playfully. "Why, you aren't a hockey fan, eh?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's not that, there's this mean girl in our class, Kelsie Cooper, and she _hates_ me and she's the captain of the field hockey team. I _know_ she'll be after me."

"It'll be fine," I assured her and Ty nodded to this. "Don't worry."

When Coach C called for volunteers for team captains, that girl, Kelsie, and Jenn were picked, even more of a reason for rivalry. Kelsie's first two picks were her two cheerleader shadows, while Jenn immediately called Ty and I to be on her team. By the time the choosing was done, Jenn was celebrating, claiming that her stalker _wasn't_ on her team and that it was the happiest she had been all day.

But as the game went on, the competition set in. Not only were Jinx and Kelsie _extremely_ competitive, but some guy, Caleb, would continuously decide to 'cover' Jenn, which resulted in a girl who was ready to have pink bolts shoot from her fists, and a boy who's face turned as red as his hair. You can guess the names.

"You're doing a pretty good job keeping yourself in check," I told Ty as the two of us 'ran' as offense to back up one of our teammates. He looked at me with an eyebrow raised, questioningly. "Well, you know, you are controlling yourself well." _For having powers_, I added silently.

He nodded and smirked. "Wouldn't want to get relocated or anything, now, would I?"

The rest of the day went by pretty event-less, aside from the occasional happenings of former teammates and comrades, like Beast Boy, Raven, and I think I ran into someone who might know Aqualad. I forget his new name, but I think it was either Alex or Lex, something like that. I had gotten pretty used to being 'Sam', or 'Mr. Cougar', and a couple people were calling me 'Cougs', a nickname from my last name. I guess this new life isn't half bad.

I _did_ happen to meet a girl who I would have sworn I knew... Her name is Kirsten Johnson and she had dark hair that I couldn't place as _extremely_ dark brown hair, or black. It went down just short of her elbows and was pulled up into twin buns on either side of her head. She had emerald green eyes and had a pretty fair skin. She wore a short dark green skirt over black leggings and black flip flops, a black belt over the skirt. A little too much black for my liking, but oh well. Her top was merely a large white sweatshirt that said 'Tae Kwon Doe' on the front and had 'Shire's Martial Arts Academy' on the back.

I don't know... there's just something about her that reminds me of something else...

Not that I'm a romantic guy, but our meeting was pretty out of the ordinary. She literally fell on me as I was passing by a staircase, and she later explained that someone had pushed her down the steps. Well, she told me that after apologizing and helping me pick up my books. She had this unique air to her; graceful, but fierce, beautiful, but strong. I'm not quite sure what to make of her.

Other than the occasional run ins, I suppose this would be a typical day for myself, who, as of now, was to be a typical teenager. Ruffling my hair with my hand, I turned off the light by my table, casting my world into darkness where I didn't have to put up an act. When there was light, I had to be Samuel Cougar, when with my friends I can be Speedy. But in the darkness, I can be who ever the hell I want to be, and I found great comfort in this.

* * *

_Edited chapter re-posted on 5/31/12._


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five.**

**.Terra.**

Hm. I suppose it was only a matter of time before the government piped in again.

There was a letter in my mailbox when I got home yesterday explaining that there would be 'Marked Centers' opening up in various cities around the world for the heroes and villains to have a safer environment to be in.

My parents had me read the letter to them aloud.

"These Marked Centers, also known as MCs, will be open in areas near groupings of young _marked_ heroes and villains, and we are glad to inform you that a MC will be opening up in Lanesburg. Its address is 74 Northwest Main Street and will be open 24 hours a day. The men and women that work there are members of the HVPA, and after school jobs for the _marked_ are available. The center will be split into two areas, one where the _marked_ can hang out with unmarked, and the other area will be made into an environment where _marked_ can be completely themselves without hiding."

"Oh, it sounds wonderful, Tarah," Laura exclaimed as she pulled me into a warm hug while sipping her morning tea. Kevin nodded his excitement.

I opened up the pamphlet included with the letter. "It sounds so cool! In the _marked_ rooms there are several areas where we can use our powers and things like that, they even have a section of forest behind the center where I can use my powers," I murmured, the last part being mostly to myself.

I stuffed the pamphlet into my backpack before finishing my glass of orange juice and saying goodbye.

I ran across the street to pick up Nate and Rae and the three of us headed for the bus stop as it started raining again. When the bus arrived, I took a window seat next to Raven and in front of Nate, and heard the driver fumble with his speaker before announcing the 'no eating on the bus' rule again, before muttering a few curses at us all.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw three figures running towards the bus, but the bus driver didn't seem to notice. As the bus roared to life, I quickly recognized the head of pink hair running towards us.

Without thinking, I hollered 'stop' which did nothing to the driver, except place a smirk on his old and wrinkled face as he stepped on the gas pedal.

_Oh no, he wouldn't get off that easy._

Rae looked at me with an eyebrow raised as I put my backpack on my lap, hiding my hands, which were glowing yellow at the moment. I just smirked as a sudden movement in the earth caused a small tree to fall and cover half of the road. Of course the bus driver, as well as the other people on the bus, weren't expecting this, so the vehicle came to a sudden screeching halt, allowing Jinx and whoever she was with to catch up.

As the snobby bus driver reported the fallen tree to whoever was on the other end of his radio, Jinx pried open the doors and came in, looking at me with a mischievous smile, which I easily returned.

She sat down in front of us, another girl filling in next to her as the boy who came in behind them sat with some other people in the back of the bus.

"Morning, Tarah," Jenn said as she turned around in her seat to speak to me. I nodded with a smile and the girl next to her turned around to face me, a questioning look on her eyes. "Oh, right, this is Kirsten, she lives a little while down the street-"

"What number house are you?" I suddenly asked, assuming she was also on Princeton Drive. I thought back to the day I found out Rae lived across the street and remembered seeing a mail box that said Kyng on it...

"I'm at 20," she said, arching an eyebrow at my question.

I beamed. "I'm 25 and Rae is 26!" I exclaimed it a little too loud and received a few 'shh!'s from people sitting near by and blushed.

**.Jinx.**

I couldn't tell them yet, but there was something peculiar about Kirsten. She just seemed... I don't know. Secretive. I feel like I've met her before...

When I saw her today she, and Caleb, were running down the street and I recognized it as an action I did the day before. Run for the bus.

It wasn't until I got on the bus with her and Caleb that I noticed how similar they looked. Same dark hair, same athletic build…

"Oh, so, did you guys hear about the MC?" Tarah's question caught me off guard and I saw that the school was approaching.

"MC?" Kirsten asked.

My eyes widened, it was the Marked Center, but I couldn't say that... "It's the new center on Northwest Main Street named after the founder, Mark Collins," Rae said simply, handing Kirsten a different pamphlet then the one I had gotten in the mail. It said 'Visitor's Copy' on the outside, and I sighed. Phew.

Tarah automatically ran to find Bryce when we got off of the bus while Rae, Kristen, and I looked around for anyone we knew.

Before we were allowed inside, we had to stand outside, and since the rain stopped, there was no problem with us being outside.

"Hey, would you check this kid out?"

"What's his deal?"

"Come on, blondie, do something."

Looking over to where a crowd of kids stood, huddled in a circle, it was attracting attention fast.

Rae and I silently agreed to check it out with Kristen in tow. As we pushed, shoved, and elbowed our way to get a good view, the first thing I saw was a tall and well built guy shadowing whoever he was yelling at.

The tall guy, who I assumed was named Derrick from the chants and murmurs circulating around him, was backed up by what looked like the rest of the football team, and he matched them with a jersey with 'Stone' on the back, and I pitied whoever they were ganging up against.

Moving a bit to see the prey, I gasped, Raven mirroring the gesture as we recognized the blond haired boy.

_Jericho!_

I heard whispering behind me and tuned my ears into the conversation, my eyes still resting on the bully who was yelling at the deaf boy. "I can't believe this kid is picking a fight with Derrick! That's like digging his own grave!"

"What happened?" another voice piped in.

A third voice answered. "The blond kid is Hayden Brown, new kid. Seems like we've gotten a bunch of them recently. Anyway, he was walking towards the door and stepped on 'Derrick's property', his self-chosen piece of the walkway. And when Derrick told Hayden to apologize and he didn't..."

My eyes widened, this idiot didn't know he was mute!

"Come on, what are you gonna do? Just stand there? I said apologize or fight!" Derrick's voice rang loud as chants of 'fight' echoed throughout the 'arena'. Jericho, er, Hayden, looked confused, caught off guard, and not the least bit scared, which didn't help his cause.

Dressed in jeans and a loose green T-shirt, he blended in pretty well. I could only imagine what they'd say if Jericho was wearing the purple shirt and was carrying around his guitar. "Come on, Stone, bury him in the ground!" one kid screamed.

"Punch him!"

"KICK HIM TO THE CURB!"

"Hit him so hard his doctor will wake up!"

I bit my lip, wanting to say something, but not sure how.

Suddenly, Derrick advanced towards Jericho, cracking his knuckles as his shadow loomed over Jericho. Without thinking, I threw myself forward, putting my hands out protectively in front of Jericho and standing between him and Derrick.

"He's mute, back off." I muttered simply, since this guy didn't seem like he'd have an easy time passing fourth grade math.

Derrick raised an eyebrow, not questioning who I was or where I came from. "So, he can't hear me?"

I shook my head. "He can hear you, he can't reply." He looked confused. "So, back off."

Now I had caught his attention. "No one tells the Stone to back off," he huffed.

"Oh yeah? Well I did. Twice."

By now the students were booing me and still begging for a fight, and I wondered where the teachers were to break this up.

Just then, a gang of five or six of the other foot ball players stepped behind 'Stone' to add to the 'intimidation' factor. I suddenly felt out numbered. I surely could fight off seven guys like them if I was Jinx, but I'm not. I'm Jenn Kyng, the best I can claim to do is karate and gymnastics.

"I'd leave if I were you, _little girl_," one of them piped up. They all stood between 5'10" and 6' something.

I stood my ground. "I'm not leaving unless you let me take Hayden with me," I stated, looking over my shoulder to Jericho, who returned my look with a grateful one. "So take it or leave it."

One of the other football players scoffed. "You're gonna fight _us_?" I nodded and they all laughed. "You and what army?"

They looked around with glares that asked 'Who else dares stand up to us?' The group of students took a step back, but I felt a presence come by my right, and I saw Kirsten standing there, putting her hands in a 'bring it on' motion before gracefully sliding into a martial arts stance.

"How cute," the guys muttered before the seven of them advanced towards the three of us like a cat stalking its prey.

Before they could reach us, or we could fight back, two more figures stepped in the way. I recognized Speedy, er, Sam, but the other took me a little bit before I recognized the Atlantean. "You aren't planning on taking out these girls without a real fight, were you?" Aqualad asked as he and Speedy stepped out from either side of the circle, pacing until they were back to back in front of Kirsten and I, with Jericho behind us.

"Back off, pretty boy," one said to Aqualad, another repeating the words to Speedy. Bryce joined in, Ty not long after, then Rae and Tarah. A few other kids we didn't know went forward too, the last being Kid Wykkyd, who stood towards the front. Marked and unmarked united to fend off the bullies, all for Jericho.

Glaring at all of us, the team decided 'they aren't worth it', before swearing they'd get us back and moving somewhere else. As they left, the crowd dissolved and the ones that stood up for Hayden cheered.

"You definitely know how to make a name for yourself," Ty said with a small smile as he came up behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder. Smirking, I shrugged it off (his hand and his compliment).

"Was nothing," I murmured before receiving a tap on my other shoulder. Looking up, I saw Hayden there, a smile on his face as he nodded his head, in gratitude, I assumed.

The morning bell rang and we went inside, but not before I accidentally bumped into two people on my way in. One was Caleb, so I felt no regret, but the other was Aqualad.

"Sorry," I murmured.

He looked at me and must have recognized me, because he smiled. "No problem," he replied. It was then I realized I didn't even know his name, and he must have remembered that too, because, next thing I knew he was extending his hand. "Alex Kennedy, at your service," he said with a laugh.

I nodded. "Jenn Kyng."

"Ahh, so you must be the Jenn Kyng that Caleb has talked about." I rose an eyebrow as the pest stood behind Aqualad with a large grin on his face.

"You know the king of dweebs?" I asked, disbelieving.

He laughed. "My dad works for his," he said simply. "We had his family over for dinner last night and had to kiss ass for hours."

I rolled my eyes before saying, "You don't know how bad I feel for you," and then saying goodbye as we parted to our separate homerooms.

**.Raven.**

By the time third period World History rolled around, I was already bored of school. In homeroom, the only 'marked' one there was Jericho, and _Hayden_ seemed as interested in school as I did. And we couldn't really carry out a conversation, so the class seemed to drone on and on. In second period I had Bryce with me, but I realized he must have never understood a word Mas y Menos said since his Spanish skills were about as good as his humor.

Now that I was in history, I was at least glad that there was a topic I could be interested in. Medieval times.

But, of course, the teacher, Mrs. Luville, decided that 'It's about time to have another group project'. And since I was new, I didn't really end up in any of the cliques the other kids went into, and I was one of the last three to join a group. When you have three neglected students, instead of making another group let them in, Mrs. Luville decided that it would be a great chance for us to make friends with each other.

So I found myself working with Kyle Decarte, who was the one who captured me for the Brotherhood of Evil, and another boy, Tim Ore. Tim was extremely quiet, which was saying something since Kyle and I weren't exactly chatterboxes. He, Tim, seemed like he was deliberately trying to keep a distance from me.

"So, what do you want to do the project on?" I asked, being the conversation starter for once. My voice was dripping with disinterest.

Tim timidly looked away and something in my mind clicked. Tim Ore, or timore, meant fear in Italian. Hah. Explains something.

Kyle showed a bit of interest, but interest isn't enthusiasm. "We can pick anything from the medieval times, right? How about magic?"

I could have guessed that our group would end up doing that.

During the remainder of our class period we decided to research demonology and angelology, which were two of the varieties of Christianized magic in the Middle Ages. We decided that Kyle and Tim would team up to research on demonology while I was left with angelology.

"We can meet at my house after school to start," Kyle suggested as we all packed up our books to leave. "My parents won't be home, but we can manage."

I nodded and found myself blushing a bit as the brown haired and greened eyed ex-sorcerer smiled at me. Realizing the shade that my cheeks were taking, I turned away, wondering what made me blush. All he did was smile, and not even a month ago he handed me over to people who were ready to kill me.

"Are you sure Rachel needs to come too?" Tim asked in a quiet voice. "She's not even doing demonology, I don't see why she needs to go." I saw him stare at me as if looking at a demon off the page, hah, if only he knew. He was eyeing my purple hair and white blouse then my black pants and boots but when he looked at my face he caught me glaring back. "Well, I-I mean, she, uh, might get bored since she's, um, researching a different topic, is all," he added in a poor attempt to save himself.

Kyle shook his head and I realized that this was the most I had ever heard him speak. "No, she's part of the group." He then turned to me, "Then again, if you will get bored, you don't have to come. It's up to you."

As all three of us walked out of the door, we decided to figure out what was going on during lunch so we had enough time to get to our classes. Kyle held the door open for Tim and me and, before we could say good-bye, Tim scurried off, practically running.

I sighed, yet another person running away from me, well, not that I really cared.

"Don't mind him, he's just weird," Kid Wykkyd whispered to me as he walked by, waving a short goodbye. I waited and watched him turn the corner before realizing what I was doing.

_What the hell is wrong with me? Hmph. Stupid Kid Wykkyd. Stupid Tim._

**.Beastboy.**

"Dude, this place sounds awesome!" Jake exclaimed, looking at the Visitor's Copy of the pamphlet I had gotten in the mail. "I mean, check out the skate ramps and stuff they have there!"

"Apparently, this place used to be some private boarding school kind of place," Tarah murmured as she, Jake, Nate, and I whispered in the back of the health room.

Nate was the next one to look over the list of things they had at the MC. "Whoa, they even have a snack bar in between the pool and the gym," he read aloud. "Rae and I are heading there after school, Mom's having us go, do you guys wanna come?"

Tarah nodded her head eagerly and I replied with a quick 'sure'. Jake claimed he wouldn't pass for anything, so before I knew it we all planned to meet up by the flagpole.

"Get anyone else you want to come," Nate added before we were caught.

"Mr. Barton," Mr. Gargahan called. Jake and I exchanged confused looks. "Either of you, and Mr. Vaughn and Miss Harvey too. Unless you are talking about the inside of an eye or ear, I wouldn't be talking or you'll be spending time after class to discuss them. Understood?" A few snickers across room were heard as we mumbled a low 'yes'.

All four of us shut up after that, each too eager to go to the MC after school then to risk it by goofing off.

**.Kid Flash.**

Wow. This is what, my third day of school, and I've been asked to some Masquerade ball by girls I've never even met before.

I saw Shawn in the hall and poured out my complaints and he just laughed and ruffled my hair, claiming that 'it's because of the name'. I assumed that meant he was going through the same thing.

As gym class ended, I saw Jenn talking to Sam, an aggravated look on her face as she glanced over at me while I was fending off a couple of girls. When she saw me looking, she turned away and I took this as a chance to tease her.

"Looks like some one's getting a visit from the green monster," I teased, playfully pulling on Jinx's ponytail. She blew a hair away from her face in annoyance. "From the looks of it, you look j-e-a-l-o-u-s."

Sam looked at me with this look that warned me, 'watch it'. But Jenn didn't give me time to react. "Why would _I_ be jealous of you?" I smirked and Sam leaned over and whispered that I meant the girls that were asking me out and she shrieked. "I AM _NOT_ JEALOUS!"

"Suure," I teased.

While waiting for the bell to ring, the three of us stood in the hallway, Speedy and I with our backs to the wall while Jinx stood in front of us.

"Did you guys hear? BB told me about the MC that opened up a couple of blocks away. It seems like he and a bunch of other people are heading down there after school, are you guys going to go?" Speedy asked to break the silence.

I shrugged. "I'll go, if BB is going, Jake and Nate probably are, which means my brother, Shawn, will end up there." Jenn and Sam looked at me as if to say 'no explanation needed', "So I'll be there," I concluded.

"I don't know," Jenn said cautiously. "If he's going, I probably wouldn't want to." A witty reply was already forming on the tip of my tongue but she reached out, putting a finger on my lips to keep me from talking. "I was kidding. Now that I'm Jenn, I have virtually no life out of school. I'm going."

**.Jinx.**

As I walked over to the flag pole after the last bell, I decided was excited to go to the MC. Apparently, so was everyone else because they were all restlessly waiting for my arrival, teasing me for being the slowest.

Bryce, Jake, Tarah, Nate, Ty, Sam, Alex, and Kirsten jumped up as soon as I approached. "Where's Rae?" I asked Tarah while the nine of us began walking downtown. "And I thought Shawn was going to be here too."

She shrugged. "Well, Rae has some History project to work on with Kid- I mean, _Kyle_, so she bailed. And, obviously, because she's with him, Kyle isn't coming either. And-"

"Shawn got grounded," Ty said with a laugh. "He left a skateboard at the bottom of the stairs again and Dad slipped. If our dog, Liam, wasn't there to break his fall, who knows what would have happened." He laughed again, but added that Liam was okay.

Bryce and Jake's jaws dropped as soon as their eyes rested on the Mark Collins center. "Whoa! DUDES, this is like school and a half!" Bryce exclaimed, comparing the building to our high school. "CHECK. IT. OUT!"

We all laughed and entered where we were asked which area we would like to go in. Confused, the woman at the desk asked to look at one of the pamphlets that we brought with us. Tarah handed over hers and the woman nodded. "Anyone have one not _marked _'Visitor's Copy'?" She asked, putting an emphasis on _marked_. Ahh, then it made sense.

There were several check-in points and each of us were taken at a separate one.

Going into the small booth-like area, I was greeted by an older woman, her kind face accented with wrinkles. "Hello, and welcome to the MC. Can I ask how I may help you?"

I raised an eyebrow and looked around the booth, the door having closed behind us. There were no windows and only two doors, a desk, two chairs, and a computer. "Is it soundproof?" I asked. The woman nodded. "And I'm safe here?" I asked again. She repeated her previous answer. "I'm _marked_," I murmured in a hushed voice.

The woman nodded with a knowing smile. "Please fill this out."

I obliged, hoping with all my might that this form would not get into the wrong hands. I had to fill out my real name, my new name, my birthday, height, weight, and things like that to make sure I checked out as _marked_. The woman took my completed form when I was done, scanned it, and automatically put it into a paper shredder that was hidden behind the desk.

Something printed out a laminated ID tag too, because I didn't see that machine when I walked in. My picture was on it, with my name, address, phone number, and school. "This is a member pass," she explained, handing it to me with a small metal clip so I could clip it to the pocket of my pants. "Just have it with you and you won't need to go though a booth again."

I took it and thanked her before exiting through the door behind her into a huge hallway where Jake, Nate, Kirsten, and Tarah waited for me.

"God, that check in took forever," Jake complained, his hands pulling the skin under his eyes down as he rolled his eyes. "The guy was like 'How can I help you?' and I was like 'I want to skate' and he goes 'Can you mark your name on this sign in list?' and I was like 'yeah'. I had to sign my name and give my address and then they let me in."

So he didn't get a memebr pass... Tarah turned to me, her back to the guys, and showed me her small ID card that she clipped to the waist of her skirt. I nodded and pointed to mine, and when Bryce and Ty came out of their booths, I saw them pocket theirs.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Jake and Nate asked in unison, before raising their skateboards and wiggling their eyebrows. Bryce and Tarah nodded to each other and ran off down the hall looking for the skate room, leaving Sam, Alex, Kirsten, Ty, and I.

"I want to explore the place a bit," I murmured, looking at an illustration on a nearby wall of the building and everything in it.

Kirsten voiced that she felt like swimming, and Alex couldn't have been happier to agree. Sam ended up going with them after the three made sure there were swimming suits that could be provided.

That left me with Kid Flash. "Sooo. Any place you're looking for in particular?" He asked me while I began walking down the hall.

I shrugged. "Well..." I slowed down so I walked along side him. "Once we check into the marked area, I know there's a track and you look like you've been bottling up way too much energy. That, and I heard there's a target practice place and I can substitute bows and arrows for a few spells."

He didn't look so sure. "How do we know we're safe here?" He asked me, raising an eyebrow and looking around as if people were already watching us.

"I... can't explain it. But I feel safe here. Like... really safe. I feel like this is the only place in the world that I can be, well, me. Not Jenn me, but _Jinx_ me. I miss it."

"The guy in my check in booth told me to look for any doors that have a black door frame, in contrast to the ones with white door frames. The white ones are for anyone to go into, but the black ones require a swipe of our ID cards."

It wasn't long until we found the one black doorframe. Opening it, it was surprisingly unlocked, I suppose it couldn't seem to suspicious to unmarked. However, when we passed through the door, we were in another booth like check in point, where, instead of being met by a person, there was a computer. It had us swipe our member cards and write out our signatures on the screen to make sure we were who we were. After that, there was a small click and we were allowed though...

**.Kid Flash.**

"Wow."

That was the only world Jinx and I could manage as we stepped through the first door we saw after the check in point. We were in the forest, and, like Jenn said, there was a large target practice area off to the left, and to the right was a large area with boulders and rocks and dirt piled high, resembling a laser tag arena to the effect that it was like a maze. In front of us was the forest and there was a small paved track going around it.

"Pretty sweet," I said, knowing we were only swallowing a tiny piece of what the MC has to offer. Without wasting much more time, I went straight to the track, casually running then going full out. Jenn, like she said, went to target practice and it took her a few tries to get her aim right.

"Haven't done it in a while," she murmured at my laugh as she aimed at some of the cardboard targets, some moving and some stationary.

I still wasn't sure if I felt completely safe here like Jinx did, but I suppose I can trust her and try this place out. It seriously was pretty cool, and just the fact that we can be ourselves here is pretty sweet too. I guess, yeah. I guess I can try to get used to it, but I just had this faint gut feeling that something was going to happen...

* * *

_Edited chapter re-posted on 5/31/12._


	6. Author's Note

**_-Is anyone out there-_**

**Author's Note.**

Today is May 31, 2012. I just reread this story, which was started on July 1, 2006. That's a long time to leave something unfinished.

I want to know if anyone out there still has this on their alerts. If there are still people that want to know what happens.

I want to see if this is worth returning to.

Because, I'll be honest, I want to.

I'm not trying to solicit reviews, but please, let me know if this is a project worth restarting.

I printed, edited and revised the past chapters and will be replacing their content soon. And then...working on new chapters. If you want it.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six.**

**.Speedy.**

"_What you're seeing right now is raw footage from this morning's raid on what was believed to be the Heroes and Villains Protection Agency (HVPA) headquarters right here in the heart of Jump City. Our cameras followed the Jump City SWAT team into the basement of the building where the so-called heroes were kept in hiding."_

The spoon I had been holding halfway between my mouth and my cereal bowl dropped, splashing milk and store brand cereal across the kitchen table. With my eyes still glued on the TV screen, I turned the volume up while I sat stunned into silence. We'd been relocated over a month ago and some of us had even tricked ourselves into believing that things would finally settle down.

"_The large building complex, formerly an office space, was believed to hold hundreds of _marked_ men and women sheltered by the HVPA. These men and women were encouraged—"_

I scoffed. "More like _threatened_," I muttered at the TV anchorwoman.

"—_to turn themselves in to the local authorities but Jump City's head of security, Mark Collins, established a program to 'protect' these individuals from prosecution. His contradictory stance on the issue led to his resignation two days ago and the reappointment of former head of security, Ronald L. Johnson._"

I grimaced as the screen changed to a portrait of Ronald Johnson his finger pointing at the camera in an Uncle Sam-esque manner at the first anti-_marked_ rally he held. The man, in his late forties, wouldn't be intimidating physically, except for the wild look of determination in his eyes and his commanding posture.

"_In an exclusive interview with Jump City news, Johnson said that he was appalled with Collins' course of action and that the only suitable response would have been to transfer the _marked _heroes and villains to a secure facility."_

I was vaguely aware of my new mother entering the kitchen and heading straight to the coffee maker, or my new dad taking a seat at the breakfast counter next to me, eyes wearily tuning into the newscast.

"_Under Johnson's lead, a new group has formed against Collins and the HVPA. They call themselves the 'Anti-Marked Civilian Association' (AMCA) with the goal of finding, identifying and containing anyone considered _marked. _Johnson, the leader, has begun to compile files and data on _marked_ individuals in hiding and will make the information and photos public later this week._"

"Not good news, son," my dad said, clapping his hand on my back as he stood.

I shrugged and returned to eating my cereal as the news switched to commercial and my mother turned down the volume. "Johnson is on a power trip," I told my dad between mouthfuls of food. "He was taking a left turn from a right lane when Beastboy hit him and, instead of taking the fault, is blaming it on Beastboy and, in turn, anyone with special abilities," I added, avoiding the term_ marked_.

My mother sighed, shaking her head and refusing to join in the conversation. I wasn't quite sure how she felt about it all and part of me believes that my father is really an HVPA supporter and that my mother supports my father but not the cause.

"What do you think of this whole AMCA thing?" I asked my dad. "I mean, 'Anti-Marked Civilian Association?' What are they going to do, pass out buttons and share stories around a campfire?"

He turned and looked at me with tired eyes. "They're going to set a culture," he said slowly. "If Johnson gets his hands on photos, information and descriptions, society is going to turn on itself trying to turn in people that look like you or Robin or Beastboy." Dad suddenly looked much older as he ran his hand through his salt and pepper hair. "And, if anyone is able to actually identify one of you…well, people are cruel. The best hope would be that you would be turned in to the AMCA without harm."

**.Terra.**

Conference room A of the Marked Center in Lanesburg was nearly full with loyal HVPA members, _marked_ heroes and their families.

We had all seen, or at least heard of, the news broadcast this morning and Anthony Cray, the head HPVA official in Lanesburg, called an emergency meeting in response.

Without meaning to, the meeting became segregated as HVPA members gathered on one side of the room and the _marked_ gathered on the other.

I sat impatiently, hugging my legs to my chest as I leaned against Beastboy, listening to Kid Flash prattle on about a pick-up basketball game he had played with his brother before the meeting. A large group of us were sitting on the floor, waiting for news.

"BB, do you think they're going to find us?" I asked quietly, not wanting to be overheard. I shivered at the though, letting my blond hair form a curtain to hide my face.

Still looking at Kid Flash, he rested his head on top of mine for a second while he spoke. "They _won't_ find us," he assured me before half-heartedly laughing at something someone else in the group said. "We're going to stick together and we're going to stay safe. I promise."

I nodded numbly, choosing to believe him rather than challenge his words. Across the circle, Raven caught my eye, a violet eyebrow raising in concern. I shook my head, averting her gaze, and let out an audible sigh of relief when Anthony Cray finally took the microphone.

**.Raven.**

"Let me get this straight," I said to Jinx and Terra as we walked out of the MC, waving goodbye to our friends as we started to walk home. "Instead of letting them find us, we are just going to put ourselves out there."

Terra wrapped her arms around herself and shrugged, unusually quiet after the meeting let out. "I guess," she mumbled.

Jinx, however, was trying to take a more optimistic approach. "The AMCA would never see it coming," she said thoughtfully as she balanced walking on the curb, her arms out in a graceful gymnastic posture. "And people are pretty stupid. If a mask can conceal an identity, then no one would recognize us out of uniform and out of context."

I smirked—she had a point.

"It's completely stupid, and that's why it's going to work," Jinx announced.

Eight _marked_ were assigned to Lanesburg: Jinx, Terra, Beastboy, Kid Flash, Kid Wykkyd, Aqualad, Speedy, Jericho and me. That's a lot of new students to suddenly receive at once without a reason.

So the HVPA made one.

Tomorrow, Jinx was going to met with a reporter from the Lanesburg Harold and tell them all about this new immersion program that was happening this year. She would tell them about how the eight of us had transferred from Rapid City Academy, a small private boarding school.

"While Rapid City Academy excelled in academics and extracurriculars, its small student body was not conducive to forming strong social bonds, so our new program allows students to experience a 'typical high school experience' for a year," Jinx said mockingly, reciting everything that Anthony Cray had said at the meeting. "Unfortunately, the school officials are unable to comment and our parents, due to a privacy contract, will not contact the media. Any questions, however, can be redirected to our program coordinator, Anthony Cray."

I had to admit, Jinx made a good liar. If she got on camera, batted her cat-like eyes a few times and forced a sparkling smile, she could play the part of appreciative, studious and excited for the chance to experience a mediocre life.

As if reading my mind, she looked at me and said, "Lying 101, it was one of the first classes they taught us at the Hive Academy for Extraordinary Young People."

Terra let out a small giggle, unsure if Jinx was lying or not, but I knew she was telling the truth. A shadow passed over her face as, I assumed, she remembered her past as a villainess.

Memory was a dangerous thing, I've found. It would be easy to get wrapped up in the past but, right now, it doesn't look like the future is any safer.

**.Kid Flash.**

A rather loud _ding_ made me jump, dropping the wii controller in my hand, much to Shawn's dismay.

"Dude, watch the merchandise!" he complained as I grinned sheepishly and stretched, happy to take a break. It's been raining the meeting yesterday so Shawn and I locked ourselves in our room playing a marathon of videogames. As fun as it was, standing every now and then felt better.

The screen of my laptop flashed 'New message' and I clicked accept. Immediately, a chat box opened.

**MissFortune: **ugh, that interview took hours.

I smirked—Jinx promised she'd let me know about her meeting with the Lanesburg Harold and, as I figured, she wasn't too cheery after it.

**MissFortune: **they asked me so many more questions than i expected.

**MissFortune: **what classes did i take?

**MissFortune: **where was the school?

**MissFortune: **did i like it here?

**MissFortune:** …are you even listening?

**TyflashL09: **of course. you're just talking too fast.

**MissFortune: **or maybe you're just slow.

**TyflashL09: **have i told you that your screen name is awesome? misfortune? i get it. cute. ;)

**MissFortune:** you're an idiot.

**TyflashL09: **:D

**TyflashL09:** so how did it go?

**MissFortune**: boring. but the media knows what they need to know now. they should be satisfied.

**TyflashL09:** hopefully that buys us time. i don't feel so good about it…

**MissFortune**: whatever. what's the worst they can do? freeze us? give us to the non-existent brotherhood of evil? take away our powers?

**TyflashL09:** don't jinx it.

**TyflashL09: **…haha. get it? :D

**MissFortune**: … on second thought, they can come and get us.

**TyflashL09:** :P

**MissFortune**: carson wants me to watch a movie with him, so i'll see you in school toorrow

**TyflashL09**: sounds good. good night :)

**MissFortune**: night

**.Jinx.**

The next day of school went by quickly. Thank god.

Our group picture was taken first thing in the morning, so naturally it was okay for me to have a bad hair day on one of the few days it mattered. Suzanne did her best to help me by adding a braid to tame my bubblegum pink locks but, only having raised a son, she gave me a weak thumbs up as I left.

"Good luck!" she called as I ran out the front door for the bus, one hand holding down the bottom of my black dress. I flashed her a quick nervous smile in response, climbed onto the bus and wished the day would just end.

"That was interesting," Terra murmured once the photographer was done with us, muttering to himself about what a motley crew we were. "I think he was thrown off by the rainbow of hair color we have."

I cast one quick look at her strawberry blonde locks and rolled my eyes. Terra, most of the others who were _marked_, looked normal. The rest of us were a bit more…peculiar looking, which was something that was acknowledged by accepted.

By the following school day, the picture and associated article were plastered on the front of the Lanesburg Herald and apparently everyone loved it because students, teachers and strangers would pull me over to ask how the program was going, if I liked the town, and why I couldn't share any details about my school. Great.

**.Terra.**

As soon as she arrived at the lunch table, Jinx smacked her head against the table and stopped moving, her braid narrowly missing the ketchup smeared across Beastboy's plate as he wolfed down an order of fries.

"I hate people," she mumbled, her words barely audible.

Kid Flash barked out a short laugh and put his arm on her back sympathetically. Luckily for the rest of us, Jinx had really been stuck with the most attention from the article and, to the HVPA's delight, everyone seemed satisfied with the explanation for the eight new students at Lanesburg High.

"Is anyone up for a trip to the MC after school?" I asked, suddenly realizing how much I missed my powers since having to go into hiding. "I'm dying to get some good exercise."

A few of them shrugged and gave noncommittal mumbles and I sighed. We've been in hiding for weeks now and I was getting antsy, feeling a disconnect with my element.

"Can't," Raven said simply, not even looking up from the novel in her hands. "History project tonight with Kyle." At this, Kid Wykkyd nodded silently.

"I'm up for it!" Kid Flash announced and I grinned, knowing that he was like me—itching to be relieved of the pressure of hiding, even it was only for a little bit. Watching him 'run' in gym was sad—you could tell he wanted to go so much faster but couldn't. "Jenn, you in?"

We both looked at Jinx expectantly, but she only let out another miserable groan. "I have plans."

"With who?" Kid Flash said in disbelief. "Is it a family thing?"

She shook her head, still not looking up.

"With Caleb."

Jinx had only vaguely mentioned his name before, but I knew that she wasn't a fan of the kid. Kid Flash visibly stiffened, letting out a large exhale before attempting to speak.

"…why?" he asked after a short period of silence.

"Can't you just ditch and come with us?" I asked, less interested in the reasoning and more wanting her to come with me to the MC. "Or you could bring him with you and he could have an unfortunate 'accident'," I suggested with a smirk.

Finally picking her head up, she looked at us with defeat. "His mother is the mayor. She liked the article so much that she called my parents last night and invited us over for dinner to 'discuss the wonderful opportunity I had been presented with' and so she could 'meet the ambitious young woman who smiled so pretty in the picture.'" Using an annoyingly high-pitched voice to imitate Caleb's mother, Jinx even put air quotes around the compliments.

For all of a second, a dark look crossed over Kid Flash's face but he quickly hid it, instead turning on the charm. "Sounds like a good thing to me," he announced, elbowing Jinx with his signature smirk. Before any of us could ask how, he added, "The more you hate him, the better I look. Right?"

Luckily for him, the lunch bell rang, and our group went their separate ways through the hallways of the school.

**.Jinx.**

Ever have that feeling of dread where you would do anything possible to make something happen slower? But, instead, time passes even quicker?

Before I knew it, I dressed up and sitting between Kirsten and Carson in the Johnson's dining room. Mayor Linda Johnson sat first at one end of the table and the rest of us filed in after. Caleb, naturally, sat directly across from me and, I swear, if his foot so much as touched mine, I'd shoot a hex at him under the table and really hit him where it hurts.

"Thank you so much for inviting us to your lovely home," Suzanne cooed, doing her best to flatter Mayor Johnson. Before coming, she confided that the mayor was a very arrogant, rather rude woman, but she knew better than to let her opinion be known now.

Knowing this was my cue, I added, "I feel lucky to meet you and have dinner with your family." All fake smiles and artificial sweetener. Nice, Jinx.

The mayor beamed and faked brushing away the compliment, muttering 'too kind, too kind.'

"So, dear," she said, looking at me as she cut into the lemon chicken on her plate, spilling a little rice over the edge of the plate and onto the table cloth. "Caleb has told me stories—" I glared at him momentarily and he returned it with a grin. "—but I want to hear from you. Tell me about yourself: what you like, how you're liking LHS, what your hobbies are."

All eyes turned on me and I almost wanted to launch into the more interesting story of how I had been training to be a villainess since childhood, found the error in my ways and became a hero…but that's not the story they wanted to hear.

So, instead, I told them about the mediocre existence of Jenn Kyng. I loved gymnastics and track, my favorite subject was art, and I was so flattered that everyone had been so kind to me after I was in the newspaper.

Ugh. Barf.

Luckily, I was cut short after the front door opened and slammed and angry footsteps approached the living room.

"Linda! Please tell me there's food—I'm so damn exhausted and I just can't seem to get a break—"

I got a good look at the man and froze.

Hastily, the mayor stood, brushing rice off of the napkin on her lap and swallowing the sip of wine she had just taken. "Sorry, Ronald, I wasn't expecting you until later tonight," she quickly apologized. "Ronald, these are our guests, the Kyngs. Mark, Suzanne and Jennifer, this is my husband Ronald."

It's weird. I spent the first fourteen years of my life thinking the good guys were my enemies. Then the past year thinking the bad guys were. But the feeling I felt when I was face-to-face with the man who was responsible for foricing my friends and I into hiding was more than hate or spite or disgust.

My breathing became labored as I tried to keep my emotions in check and, luckily, everyone was too busy looking at _him_ to notice me.

Everyone except Carson, who slipped his hand into mine and squeezed it in the cute and reassuring way that only 10-year-olds can.

"Nice to meet you, sir," I said between clenched teeth, trying to force a smile. "I have heard so much about you."

Mark and Suzanne, who had both paled, must have known who he was and just not put the pieces together, because they exchanged short pleasantries with Ronald as he joined us, immediately serving himself to the dinner laid out on the table.

"The meeting I had today was cut short, thankfully, so I was able to escape the office and come home early," Ronald said, obviously proud of himself. "The AMCA has made many great strides already and we're almost ready to make another public announcement."

I stiffened, not wanting to hear any more about his 'accomplishments' but knowing that this was a good opportunity to hear more about his plans.

"What kind of announcement?" I asked innocently.

Ronald laughed, "Why, identities and approximate locations, of course." Mark and Suzanne froze and even Carson started to feel the tension in the room. "Those damn _marked _won't be able to hide forever—I have people everywhere searching and researching and, eventually, finding."

"Dad's been busy making connections to major networks and important people," Caleb bragged, his green eyes sparkling with pride. "He's a very powerful man and he's actually doing his job right. I know he's going to find every last one of them."

Kirsten, who I had forgotten was beside me, quietly excused herself and I wished I could do the same. Swallowing everything I wanted to say in defense of my friends was hard but Caleb kept sneaking glances at me so I couldn't let anything show.

"Caleb's right," the mayor intoned, "I can't believe what Mark Collins did, letting them all escape. Helping those… those _people_…it's almost as bad as being one of them," she said, nodding her head thoughtfully to her own words.

I felt like I was going to be sick.

"It's still a very controversial issue," Mark agreed. "Kind of like that proposal to build a casino—"

"What do you think of it, Jennifer?"

I glared at Ronald who unabashedly interrupted my father. All eyes turned to me and I felt a mixture of rage and anxiety course through my veins.

"I…" I paused then looked Ronald L. Johnson straight in the eye. "I think that this is a dangerous issue," I began. "Very dangerous. And I don't think anyone knows what they're in for."

He raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to comment but I was saved by his cell phone ringing. As he left the table to the mayor's protest of 'no phone calls during dinner!', Kirsten returned and an uncomfortable silence settled.

Dinner went by quickly after that with Ronald out of the room for the majority of it. After what felt like forever, my family finally stood and began expressing gratitude (and a desire to leave).

We had just made it to the door before Ronald's triumphant cry reached us.

"LINDA!" he shouted, shooting past us to the living room. "I have FANTASTIC news…"

Whatever it was, I knew that, for us, it must be the exact opposite.

**.Raven.**

My cell phone vibrated, 'one missed call' and 'one new voicemail' both displaying on the front screen. I took a quick look at the number.

_Unknown number. Awesome._

Nevertheless, I opened the voicemail, my finger hovering over the 'delete' button until I hearda familiar voice. "Friend Raven, I hope this is you, for Robin and I are in trouble and I could not find anyone else," the message started.

I gasped, wondering how Starfire could have possibly found my cell phone number.

"I am afraid our identities have been, as Robin says, compromised, and we are on our own now. We are on our way to you and I am very afraid."

Starfire's breath was fast, as if she was running while she spoke, and there were a few muffled noises before Robin spoke.

"The AMCA, Raven, it's real. And they mean business," he huffed into the phone, also running, I assumed. "I'll explain how we found you later, but just be on the look out. Things aren't safe. We aren't safe. And, you need to know—"

"End of new message!"

* * *

So, this is the first time I've written fanfiction in six years-please feel free to provide feedback (the constructive or destructive kinds). I'm pretty sure my writing style has changed since this story started, but I am doing my best to stay consistent while also improving.

There are a couple of things I wanted to point out in this author's note. First, I feel like I got carried away with creating characters, so I'm trying to really only include the important ones from now on. Second, I hope you guys don't mind but I'm going to continue this story in present time (so 2012, rather than 'present time' in 2006). Third, I know this chapter was a little more dry than the others but I had to spend a little more time on plot and a little less on characters.

Thank you to everyone that encouraged me to continue-I'm having fun and I hope you all enjoy reading this.


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